Whitefoot Research Group

Faculty

Kate S. Whitefoot

Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering and Public Policy

Courtesy Appointment, Heinz College

Professor Whitefoot is the director of the Whitefoot Research Group, a thrust leader of the NextManufacturing Center, and a Fellow of the Scott Institute for Energy Innovation. She has worked with several companies in automotive, aerospace, manufacturing, and high-tech industries, and has been invited to present briefings at the White House, Capitol Hill, the Department of Commerce, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Office: 358 Scaife Hall

Phone: 412.268.6771

Email: kwhitefoot@cmu.edu

Google Scholar: Kate S. Whitefoot

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Publications

Journals

Gowharji, Waleed F, Jeremy J Michalek, and Kate S Whitefoot. 2024. “Implications of context effects in consumer utility models for optimal product design and differentiation.” Journal of Mechanical Design 146(9): 091706.
Cotterman, Turner, Erica R H Fuchs, Kate S Whitefoot, and Christophe Combemale. 2024. “The transition to electrified vehicles: Evaluating the labor demand of manufacturing conventional versus battery electric vehicles.” Energy Policy 188: 114064.
Forsythe, Connor R, Kenneth T Gillingham, Jeremy J Michalek, and Kate S Whitefoot. 2023. “Technology advancement is driving electric vehicle adoption.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 120(23): e2219396120.
Chen, Hongrui, Aditya Joglekar, Kate S Whitefoot, and Levent Burak Kara. 2023. “Concurrent build direction, part segmentation, and topology optimization for additive manufacturing using neural networks.” Journal of Mechanical Design 145(9): 091702.
Jung, Sangjin, Levent Burak Kara, Zhenguo Nie, Timothy W Simpson, and Kate S Whitefoot. 2023. “Is additive manufacturing an environmentally and economically preferred alternative for mass production?” Environmental Science & Technology 57(16): 6373-6386.
Case, Sarah, Jeremy J Michalek, and Kate S Whitefoot. 2023. “Global product design platforming: A comparison of two equilibrium solution methods.” Journal of Mechanical Design 145(6): 061702.
Whiston, Michael M, Inês M Lima Azevedo, Shawn Litster, Constantine Samaras, Kate S Whitefoot, and Jay F Whitacre. 2022. “Expert elicitation on paths to advance fuel cell electric vehicles.” Energy Policy 160: 112671.
Yip, Arthur H C, Jeremy J Michalek, and Kate S Whitefoot. 2022. “Implications of competitor representation for profit-maximizing design.” Journal of Mechanical Design 144(1): 011705.
Whiston, Michael M, Inês M Lima Azevedo, Shawn Litster, Constantine Samaras, Kate S Whitefoot, and Jay F Whitacre. 2021. “Paths to market for stationary solid oxide fuel cells: Expert elicitation and a cost of electricity model.” Applied Energy 304: 117641.
Combemale, Christophe, Kate S Whitefoot, Laurence Ales, and Erica R H Fuchs. 2021. “Not all technological change is equal: how the separability of tasks mediates the effect of technology change on skill demand.” Industrial and Corporate Change 30(6): 1361-1387.
Gowharji, Waleed and Kate S Whitefoot. 2021. “Influence of omitted variables in consumer choice models on engineering design optimization solutions.” Journal of Mechanical Design 143(12): 121703.
Jung, Sangjin, Rianne E Laureijs, Christophe Combemale, and Kate S Whitefoot. 2021. “Design for nonassembly: Current status and future directions.” Journal of Mechanical Design 143(4): 040801.
Nie, Zhenguo, Sangjin Jung, L. Burak Kara, and Kate S. Whitefoot. 2020. “Optimization of parts consolidation for minimum production costs and time using additive manufacturing.” Journal of Mechanical Design 142(7): 072001.
Whiston, Michael M, Inês M Lima Azevedo, Shawn Litster, Constantine Samaras, Kate S Whitefoot, and Jay F Whitacre. 2020. “Hydrogen storage for fuel cell electric vehicles: expert elicitation and a levelized cost of driving model.” Environmental Science & Technology 55(1): 553-562.
Whiston, Michael M, Inês M Lima Azevedo, Shawn Litster, Constantine Samaras, Kate S. Whitefoot, and Jay F. Whitacre. 2019. “Meeting U.S. solid oxide fuel cell targets” Joule 3: 1–6.
Whiston, Michael M, Inês M Lima Azevedo, Shawn Litster, Kate S. Whitefoot, Constantine Samaras, and Jay F. Whitacre. 2019. “Expert assessments of the cost and expected future performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells for vehicles.” Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences 116(11): 4899-4904.
Laureijs, Rianne, Erica R H Fuchs, and Kate S Whitefoot. 2019. “Is more less? Benefits and costs of high-variety production in non-assembled manufacturing.” Journal of Mechanical Design 141(6): 061703.
Ulu, Erva, Runze Huang, L Burak Kara, and Kate S Whitefoot. 2019. “Concurrent structure and process optimization for minimum cost metal additive manufacturing.” Journal of Mechanical Design. 141(6): 061701.
Bento, Antonio M, Kenneth Gillingham, Mark R Jacobsen, Christopher R Knittel, Benjamin Leard, Joshua Linn, Virginia McConnell, David Rapson, James M Sallee, Arthur A van Benthem, and Kate S Whitefoot. 2018. “Flawed analyses of US auto fuel economy standards.” Science 362(6419): 1119-1121.
Yip, Arthur H C, Jeremy J Michalek, and Kate S Whitefoot. 2018. “On the implications of using composite vehicles in choice model predictions.” Transportation Research Part B-Methodological 116: 163-188.
Whitefoot, Kate S, Meredith L Fowlie, and Steven J Skerlos. 2017. “Compliance by design: Influence of acceleration trade-offs on CO2 emissions and costs of fuel economy and greenhouse gas regulations.” Environmental Science & Technology 51(18): 10307-10315.
Hollander, Rachelle, Adjo Amekudzi-Kennedy, Sarah Bell, Frazier Benya, Cliff Davidson, Craig Farkos, David Fasenfest, Regina Guyer, Anglique Hjarding, Michael Lizotte, Dinane Quigley, Diana Watts, and Kate S Whitefoot. 2016. “Network priorities for social sustainability research and education: Memorandum of the integrated network on social sustainability research group.” Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy 12(1): 16-21.
Morrow, W Ross, Joshua Mineroff, and Kate S Whitefoot. 2014. “Numerically stable design optimization with price competition.” Journal of Mechanical Design 136(8): 081002.
Frischknecht, Bart D and Kate S Whitefoot. 2014. “Market simulation based sensitivity analysis as a means to inform design effort as applied to photovoltaic panels.” Journal of Mechanical Design 136(5): 054501.
Whitefoot, Kate S and Steven J. Skerlos. 2012. “Design incentives to increase vehicle size created from the US footprint-based fuel economy standards.” Energy Policy 41: 402-411.
Whitefoot, Kate S, Hilary G Grimes-Casey, Carol E Girata, W Ross Morrow, James J Winebrake, Gregory A Keoleian, and Steven J Skerlos. 2011. “Consequential lifecycle assessment with market-driven design decisions: Development and discussion.” Journal of Industrial Ecology 15(5): 726-742.
Frischknecht, Bart D, Kate S Whitefoot, and Panos Y Papalambros. 2010. “On the suitability of econometric demand models in design for market systems.” Journal of Mechanical Design 132(12): 121007.

Working papers

Forsythe, Connor R, Kenneth T Gillingham, Jeremy J Michalek, and Kate S Whitefoot. “Will Pickup Truck Owners Go Electric?”
Burns, Aaron, Connor R Forsythe, Jeremy J Michalek, and Kate S Whitefoot. “Estimating the Potential for Dynamic Parking Reservation Systems to Increase Delivery Vehicle Accommodation.”
Vicente, Johnathan P, Jeremy J Michalek, and Kate S Whitefoot. “Development and Evaluation of Methods for Computing Automotive Equilibrium Responses to Policy with Endogenous Technology Entry and Exit.”
Vicente, Johnathan P, Connor R Forsythe, Kenneth T Gillingham, Jeremy J Michalek, and Kate S Whitefoot. “Automotive Demand Models: A Systematic Review with Implications for Policy and Practice.”
Forsythe, Connor R, Akshaya Jha, Jeremy J Michalek, and Kate S Whitefoot. “Externalities of Policy-Induced Scrappage: The Case of Automotive Regulations.” NBER Working Paper 30546.
Case, Sarah, Jason O’Connor, and Kate S Whitefoot. “Process-Based Learning on EV Battery Manufacturing Costs.”
O’Connor, Jason, Karan Bhuwalka, Elsa Olivetti, Abby Randall, Richard Roth, and Kate S Whitefoot. “Avoiding Electric Vehicle Material Supply Disruptions is Feasible with Changes in Chemistry and Recycling.”
Ales, Laurence, Christophe Combemale, Erica R H Fuchs, Kate S Whitefoot. “How it’s Made: A General Theory of the Labor Implications of Technological Change.”
Cotterman,Turner, Erica R H Fuchs, Mitchell J Small, and Kate S Whitefoot. “The Transition to Electric Vehicles: Implications for manufacturing worker skills.”
Gowharji, Waleed and Kate S Whitefoot. “Loss Aversion and Energy Efficiency Labels.”
Laureijs, Rianne, Chad Syverson, Erica R H Fuchs, and Kate S Whitefoot. "Mix and Match: Exploring Person-Product Match Effects in High Variety Manufacturing."
Ales, Laurence, Brian Kovak, Hakki Ozdenoren, and Kate S Whitefoot. "The Sources of Capital-Labor Substitutability."
Cheng, Zhi-Qi, Yifei Dong, Aike Shi, Wei Liu, Yuzhi Hu, Jason O’Connor, Alexander Hauptmann, and Kate S Whitefoot. “SHIELD: LLM-Driven Schema Induction for Predictive Analytics in EV Battery Supply Chain Disruptions.”

Books

Fuchs, E, J Evans, D Murdick, YY Ahn, L Branstetter, E Brynjolfsson, C Combemale, R Conti, B Fischhoff, B Glennon, J Graff Zivin, H Khan, J Lerner, T Monroe-White, G Morgan, E Olivetti, C Sugimoto, D Wang, and K S Whitefoot, (2023). Securing America’s Future: A Framework for Critical Technology Assessment. Boston, MA: Opus Press.
Marchant, Gary, Carla Bailo, Rodica Baranescu, Nady Boules, David Greene, Daniel Kapp, Ulrich Kranz, Therese Langer, Zhenhong Lin, Joshua Linn, Nic Lutsey, Joann Milliken, Rnda Radwan, Anna Stefanopoulou, Deidre Strand, and Kate S Whitefoot. Assessment of Technologies for Improving Light-Duty Vehicle Fuel Economy—2025-2035. (Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2021).
Donofrio, Nicholas M., and Kate S. Whitefoot (Eds.). 2015. Making Value for America: Embracing the Future of Manufacturing, Technology, and Work. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Conferences

Vicente, J. P., Forsythe, C., Gillingham, K., Michalek, J., & Whitefoot, K. (2023). “A Review of Automotive Demand Models With Implications for Their Use in Informing Engineering Design and Policy Decisions”. Presented at the U.S. Association for Energy Economics North American Conference, Nov 5-8, Chicago, IL.
Vicente, J. P., Michalek, J., & Whitefoot, K. (2023). “Computing Equilibrium Automotive Technology Decisions Under Regulation”. Poster presented at the U.S. Association for Energy Economics North American Conference, Nov 5-8, Chicago, IL.
Vicente, J. P., Michalek, J., & Whitefoot, K. (2023). “Computing Equilibrium Automotive Technology Decisions Under Regulation”. Presented at the 2023 INFORMS Annual Meeting, October 15-18, Phoenix, AZ.
Vicente, J. P., Forsythe, C., Gillingham, K., Michalek, J., & Whitefoot, K. (2023). “A Review of Automotive Demand Models With Implications for Their Use in Informing Engineering Design and Policy Decisions”. Presented at the 2023 ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conference, IDETC2023-118012, Aug 20-23, Boston, MA.
Forsythe, Connor R, Kenneth Gillingham, Jeremy J Michalek, and Kate S Whitefoot, “Driving electric vehicle adoption: The role of technology and Consumer preferences” National Bureau of Economics Research Economics of Energy Use in Transportation Meeting (2023).
Forsythe, Connor, Kenneth Gillingham, Jeremy Michalek, and Kate S Whitefoot, “Will pickup truck owners go electric?” Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., January 9-11, 2023. Abstract only.
Forsythe, Connor, Kenneth Gillingham, Jeremy Michalek, and Kate S Whitefoot, “What’s driving electric vehicle adoption? Evaluating changes in U.S. consumer preferences and vehicle technology,” Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., January 9-11, 2023. Abstract only.
Bruchon, Matthew, Connor R Forsythe, Charlotte Andreasen, Kate S Whitefoot, and Jeremy J Michalek “Does congestion pricing for Uber and Lyft work? Effects of Chicago’s downtown zone surcharge,” Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., January 9-11, 2023. Abstract only.
Hongrui Chen, Aditya Joglekar, Kate S. Whitefoot, and L. Burak Kara. “Concurrent build direction, part segmentation, and topology optimization for additive manufacturing using neural networks” ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences (2022).
Combemale, Christophe, Laurence Ales, Erica R H Fuchs, Kate S Whitefoot. “How it’s made: A general theory of the labor implications of technological change.” Academy of Management (2022).

Case, Sarah and Kate S Whitefoot. “Global product design platforming: A comparison of two methods to find equilibrium solutions.” ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences (2020).
Forsythe, Connor R, Akshaya Jha, Jeremy J. Michalek, and Kate S Whitefoot. “Externalities of policy-induced scrappage: The case of automotive regulations.” National Bureau of Economics Research Economics of Energy Use in Transportation Meeting (2020).
Forsythe, Connor R, Jeremy J Michalek, and Kate S Whitefoot. “Fleet use implications of policies that affect light-duty vehicle scrappage,” Academy of Management, February 24, 2020. Abstract only.
Gowharji, Waleed and Kate S Whitefoot. "Influence of omitted variables in consumer preference models on engineering design optimization.” ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences (2019).
Jung, Sangjin, Rianne E Laureijs, Christophe Combemale, and Kate S Whitefoot. “Design for nonassembly: Current status and future directions.” ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences (2019).
Nie, Zhenguo, Sangjin Jung, L. Burak Kara, and Kate S Whitefoot. “Optimization of parts consolidation for minimum production costs and time using additive manufacturing.” ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences (2019).
Yip, Arthur H C, Jeremy J Michalek, and Kate S Whitefoot. “Implications of competitor representation on optimal design.” ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences (2019).
Combemale, Christophe, Kate S Whitefoot, Laurence Ales, and Erica R H Fuchs. “Not all technology change is equal: Disentangling labor demand effects of simultaneous changes.” Academy of Management (2019).
Whiston, Michael, Inês Azevedo, Shawn Litster, Kate S Whitefoot, Constantine Samaras, Clement Wong, and Jay Whitacre. “Expert assessments of the expected future costs and performance of hydrogen storage systems for vehicles.” 36th USAEE/IAEE North American Conference, Sept 23-26, 2018. Abstract only.
Ales, Laurence, Christophe Combemale, Erica R H Fuchs, Brian Kovak, Hakki Ozdenoren, and Kate S Whitefoot. “The sources of capital-labor substitutability,” Society for Economic Dynamics Annual Meeting, Mexico City, June 30, 2018. Abstract only.
Yip, Arthur H C, Jeremy J Michalek, and Kate S Whitefoot. “On the implications of using composite vehicles in choice model simulations,” Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., January 7-11, 2018. Abstract only.
Huang, Runze, Erva Ulu, Levent Burak Kara, and Kate S Whitefoot. “Cost minimization in metal additive manufacturing using concurrent structure and process optimization.” ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences 2 (2017): 1-10.
Kate S Whitefoot and Steven J Skerlos. “Market effects in lifecycle assessment: A framework to aid product design and policy analysis.” Procedia CIRP 48 (2016): 336-341.
Morrow, W. Ross, Joshua Mineroff, and Kate S Whitefoot. “Numerically stable design optimization with price competition.” ASME Design Engineering Technical Conferences 3, (2012): 1-19.
Frischknecht, Bart D and Kate S Whitefoot. “Defining technology-adoption indifference curves for residential solar electricity generation using stated preference experiments.” ASME Design Engineering Technical Conferences 5, (2011): 395-404.
Grimes-Casey, Hilary, Carol Girata, Kate S Whitefoot, Gregory Keoleian, James J Winebrake, and Steven J Skerlos. “Product and policy life cycle inventories with market driven demand: An engine selection case study.” Proceedings of the 18th CIRP International Conference on Life Cycle Engineering (2011): 558-563.
Frischknecht, Bart D, Kate S Whitefoot, and Panos Y Papalambros. “Methods for evaluating the suitability of econometric demand models in design for market systems.”

ASME Design Engineering Technical Conferences, (2009): 397-406.

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Research team

Jason O'Connor

Research Scientist

Research interests: Integrating economic models of market competition and consumer demand with engineering models of design and production for policy and strategy analysis
Email: jasono@andrew.cmu.edu

Johnathan Vincente

Doctorate

Research interests: Automotive design optimization with a focus on modeling the impacts of emissions policies and consumer demand
Email: johnathv@andrew.cmu.edu

John Paul Pieper

Doctorate

Research interests: Automotive manufacturing and design optimization resilient to supply chain disruption events
Email: jppieper@andrew.cmu.edu

Samantha Castellano

Doctorate

Research interests: Techno-economic model analysis of experimental battery energy storage systems
Email: scastell@andrew.cmu.edu

Past students

Christophe Combemale, Assistant Research Professor, Engineering & Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University
Connor Forsythe, Decision Scientist at The Walt Disney Company
Sarah Case
Ria Laureijs, Strategy and Sustainability, Schneider Electric
Sangjin Jung, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Southern Illinois University
Waleed Gowarji, Assistant Professor, KACST
Zhenguo Nie, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University
Runze Huang, CEO and Co-Founder of ExLattice
Stephanie Jennings, Quality Engineer at Ford Motor Company
Ashley Orr, Ph.D. student, Heinz College, CMU
Arthur Yip, Postdoctoral Researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory

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Video

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Courses

Course	Course Name	Location	Units	Semester Offered
24-441	Product Design	Pittsburgh	12	Fall, Spring
24-680	Quantitative Entrepreneurship: Analysis for New Technology Commercialization	Pittsburgh	12	Intermittent

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AVL Partnership

The Whitefoot Research Group uses AVL Advanced Simulation Technologies (AVL AST) software tools as part of AVL AST’s University Partnership Program with Carnegie Mellon University. Learn more about AVL AST.Opens in new window ▲ Back to the top

Media mentions

Fast Company

Whitefoot quoted on EV metrics

EPP/MechE's Kate Whitefoot was quoted in Fast Company about the role of metrics in EV advertising.

Vox

Whitefoot quoted on the MPG Illusion in the US

EPP/MechE’s Kate Whitefoot was quoted in Vox on the EU’s more transparent gas measurements in comparison to the US. The EU’s liters per 100 kilometer driven method being “directly related to energy use and directly related to emissions” providing researchers with more precise data on fuel economy.

NBC News

Whitefoot quoted on labor involved in electric vehicle production

MechE/EPP’s Kate Whitefoot was quoted in NBC News on the amount of labor involved in electric vehicle production.

Fox Business

Whitefoot quoted on electric vehicle tax credits

Kate Whitefoot was quoted in Fox Business on the updated federal policy surrounding electric vehicle tax credits.

See More Mentions

CNET

Whitefoot talks electric vehicle tax credits

EPP/MechE’s Kate Whitefoot spoke to CNET about adding to the list of electric vehicles that qualify for a federal tax credit worth thousands of dollars.

Axios

CMU’s take on autoworkers in the electric car industry in Axios

As the auto industry begins making the switch over to electric vehicles (EVs), a popular contention is that it takes fewer workers to manufacture EVs. However, researchers at CMU have found that it actually takes more labor hours as battery cell production is a complex and time-consuming process.

MSN

Whitefoot comments on green cars in MSN

MechE/EPP’s Kate Whitefoot comments on the future of green vehicles in MSN. “Moving heavy vehicles like school buses, construction equipment, and big trucks to electrification will definitely be slower,” she says.

Newsweek

Whitefoot comments on gas-powered green vehicles

MechE/EPP’s Kate Whitefoot comments on gas-powered green vehicles in Newsweek. "Moving heavy vehicles like school buses. construction equipment and big trucks to electrification will definitely be slower. That's where improving the efficiency of internal combustion engines will be important,” Whitefoot says.

Nautilus

Whitefoot talks increasing electric vehicle popularity

MechE/EPP’s Kate Whitefoot spoke to Nautilus about what’s behind the latest uptick in consumer interest in electric vehicles, breaking down several factors, including environmental impact and the influence of Tesla.

GO Banking Rates

Whitefoot talks cost of EVs, policy incentives

MechE/EPP’s Kate Whitefoot said there are many policy incentives available to lower the cost of purchasing electric vehicles (EVs).

CMU Engineering

Tech advances will drive the transition to electric vehicles

Researchers found that advances in EV technology will likely bring significant growth to the market, relative to gasoline powered automobiles.

Vox

Whitefoot talks future of electric vehicles after California’s ban on gasoline vehicles

EPP/MechE’s Kate Whitefoot discussed future uptake of electric vehicles in Vox after California passed a measure banning the sale of fossil fuel-powered cars by 2035. “It is expected that EVs will dominate the new vehicle market nationwide in the future,” she said. “The uncertainty is exactly when this will occur.”

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