Two faculty members were recently selected to hold Robert N. Noyce Career Development Professorships for two years. They are Associate Professor Duane S. Boning and Assistant Professor Nelson P. Repenning.
Professor Boning of electrical engineering and computer science does research in the area of semiconductor manufacturing, including process control, process synthesis, tools and frameworks for semiconductor process and device design, and the computer-integrated manufacturing of integrated circuits. His most recent work has focused on the modeling and control of semiconductor fabrication processes for chemical-mechanical polishing and plasma etch.
He holds four degrees from MIT: SB degrees (1984) in electrical engineering and in computer science, and the SM (1986) and PhD (1991) in EECS. He was appointed an assistant professor at the Institute in 1992 and was promoted to associate professor last year.
Professor Repenning is in the Department of Operations Management/System Dynamics at the Sloan School of Management. His research focuses primarily on why and how improvement techniques such as total quality management succeed in some organizations but fail in others. He conducts intensive case analyses of companies and uses these as the basis for formal modeling efforts. He also develops strategies to eliminate unanticipated side effects associated with many otherwise successful process improvement techniques.
In addition, his current research includes the creation of management "flight" simulators -- computer games that allow managers to hone their management skills using a simulated company.
Professor Repenning received the BA in economics from The Colorado College in 1990 and the PhD from Sloan in 1996. He was appointed an assistant professor of management at MIT in 1996.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on February 11, 1998.
