David and Susan Coulter Head of Mechanical Engineering
George Tallman and Florence Barrett Ladd Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Courtesy Appointment, School of Design
Associate Director, Human+AI Design Initiative
Jonathan Cagan is the David and Susan Coulter Head and George Tallman and Florence Barrett Ladd Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. His career spans collaborative and innovative work in education, research, and industry.
Researching engineering design automation and methods, Cagan merges AI, machine learning, and optimization methods with cognitive science problem solving. One focal area is the cognitive basis and computational modeling of designer processes to improve the effectiveness of human designers, with a focus on hybrid human/AI teams. Another area includes computational methods for the design and diagnosis of biomechanical systems. An additional focus is in user-centered design and integrated product development practice. He exemplifies the college’s culture of advanced collaboration, having worked with engineers, psychologists, neuro-scientists, marketers, designers, computer scientists, and architects in his work.
At Carnegie Mellon, Cagan co-founded and co-directed the Integrated Innovation Institute and served as interim dean, and, prior, associate dean for graduate and faculty affairs and chief academic officer, of the College of Engineering. Cagan was recently honored with the Robert A. Doherty Award for Sustained Contributions to Excellence in Education. Active in professional societies and editorial boards, Cagan is a Fellow in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and was awarded with the ASME Design Theory and Methodology, Design Automation, and Ruth and Joel Spira Outstanding Design Educator Awards. He has authored several books, more than 300 publications, and is an inventor on multiple patents.
1990 Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
1985 MS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Rochester
1983 BS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Rochester
Design Science
MechE Head Jonathan Cagan has been named co-editor-in-chief of the international, multidisciplinary journal Design Science.
Mechanical Engineering
After years of developing an AI Coach in the lab, MechE PhD student has the opportunity to build a version for NASA design team use
MechE’s Jon Cagan and Chris McComb, BME’s Keith Cook and Rosalyn Abbott, and BME/MSE’s Adam Feinberg are leading sessions at SXSW 2025 that will focus on the application of AI in education and organ transplant technology.
CMU Engineering
A new computer aided design tool from the labs of Jon Cagan and Rebecca Taylor enables scientists to rapidly generate and manufacture novel DNA origami structures within designer-defined constraints.
Mechanical Engineering
New book by Jon Cagan and Peter Boatwright answers how to build and manage successful innovation teams, combining academic research with practical applications
CMU Engineering
The new Robotics Innovation Center (RIC) will serve as a home to well-established programs connecting CMU and the Hazelwood community.
CMU Engineering
New research from Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Human+AI Design Initiative underlines the adage “teamwork makes the dream work,” especially when it comes to human-AI collaboration.
CMU Engineering
Researchers develop AI-driven method to automate the discovery of brand related features in product design.
CMU Engineering
Jon Cagan participated in a congressional briefing on AI in the workforce, focusing on the future of AI-human teaming.
CMU Engineering
Carnegie Mellon’s entry into online education will provide working professionals flexible access to world class graduate-level training in emerging and evolving technologies.
CMU Engineering
Burcu Akinci, Jonathan Cagan, and Jeanne VanBriesen, senior faculty members in the College of Engineering, have been named 2022 AAAS Fellows.
CMU Engineering
Jon Cagan will be the new head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, effective November 1, 2022.
