Office Location WH322
Specialization(s) Design Innovation, Engineering Design, Computing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering,
Product Development, Smart Energy, Robotics, AI
Biography/Details
Dr. Kristin L. Wood is currently a Professor in the Department of Engineering, Westmont
College, Santa Barbara, CA. Dr. Wood completed his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in the
Division of Engineering and Applied Science at the California Institute of Technology
(Caltech), where he was an AT&T Bell Laboratories Ph.D. Scholar. From 1989-2019, Dr.
Wood held positions at the University of Texas at Austin, United States Air Force
Academy, the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), and University
of Colorado Denver, including Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Cullen Trust Endowed
Professor in Engineering, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, Director of
the SUTD-MIT International Design Center (IDC), Professor and Founding Head of Pillar,
Engineering and Product Development (EPD), and Director of the Design Innovation Program.
Dr. Wood also served as the Associate Provost for Graduate Studies at SUTD, where
the graduate enrollment was increased to greater than 400 students, including a new
and exciting program: the interdisciplinary Masters of Innovation by Design (MIbD)
supported by the Singapore Ministry of Education. Following his tenure at SUTD, Dr.
Wood served as the Senior Associate Dean for Innovation and Engagement, CEDC, CU Denver,
as well as the Executive Director of the Comcast Media and Technology Center and Director
of Inworks. Dr. Wood has published more than 600 refereed articles and books (~39,500
citations; h-Index ~ 94); has received more than 130 awards in design, research, and
education; consulted with more than 100 companies (MNCs and SMEs) worldwide; led or
mentored over 25 startup companies; served as an expert on over 100 intellectual property
(IP) and class action legal proceedings; served as PI or co-PI on over 250 grants;
is currently a Principal Fellow of the SUTD Academy; and is currently a Fellow of
the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Selected Publications:
M. Devarassu, M. Kalimuthu∗, R. Ilangovan, V. Prabakaran, M. R. Elara. (2026) "METRIX: A Metric-Driven Transformation
Design Framework for Reconfigurable Kabaddi Robots," IDETC 2026, Hilton Americas-Houston,
Houston, TX, USA, August 24 - 26.
Ong, J. H., Hayat, A. A., Elara, M. R., & Wood, K. L. (2025). An optical flow-and
machine learning-based fall recognition model for stair accessing service robots.
Mathematics, 13(12), 1918.
Ong, J. H., Hayat, A. A., Gomez, B. F., Elara, M. R., & Wood, K. L. (2024). Deep learning
based fall recognition and forecasting for reconfigurable stair-accessing service
robots. Mathematics, 12(9), 1312.
Kalimuthu, M., Hayat, A. A., Pathmakumar, T., Rajesh Elara, M., & Wood, K. L. (2023).
A deep reinforcement learning approach to optimal morphologies generation in reconfigurable
tiling robots. Mathematics, 11(18), 3893.
Kalimuthu, M., Pathmakumar, T., Hayat, A. A., Elara, M. R., & Wood, K. L. (2023).
A metaheuristic approach to optimal morphology in reconfigurable tiling robots. Complex & Intelligent Systems, 9(5), 5831-5850.
Hayat, A. A., Yi, L., Kalimuthu, M., Elara, M. R., & Wood, K. L. (2022). Reconfigurable
robotic system design with application to cleaning and maintenance. Journal of Mechanical Design, 144(6), 063305.
Tan, N., Hayat, A. A., Elara, M. R., & Wood, K. L. (2020). A framework for taxonomy
and evaluation of self-reconfigurable robotic systems. IEEE Access, 8, 13969-13986.
Sarica, S., Luo, J., & Wood, K. L. (2020). TechNet: Technology semantic network based
on patent data. Expert Systems with Applications, 142, 112995.
Tushar, W., Saha, T. K., Yuen, C., Morstyn, T., McCulloch, M. D., Poor, H. V., & Wood,
K. L. (2019). A motivational game-theoretic approach for peer-to-peer energy trading
in the smart grid. Applied energy, 243, 10-20.
Tushar, W., Yuen, C., Mohsenian-Rad, H., Saha, T., Poor, H. V., & Wood, K. L. (2018).
Transforming energy networks via peer-to-peer energy trading: The potential of game-theoretic
approaches. IEEE Signal Processing Magazine, 35(4), 90-111.
Camburn, B., Viswanathan, V., Linsey, J., Anderson, D., Jensen, D., Crawford, R.,
... & Wood, K. (2017). Design prototyping methods: state of the art in strategies,
techniques, and guidelines. Design Science, 3, e13.
Telenko, C., Wood, K., Otto, K., Rajesh Elara, M., Foong, S., Leong Pey, K., ... &
Frey, D. (2016). Designettes: an approach to multidisciplinary engineering design
education. Journal of Mechanical Design, 138(2), 022001.
Fu, K., Murphy, J., Yang, M., Otto, K., Jensen, D., & Wood, K. (2015). Design-by-analogy:
experimental evaluation of a functional analogy search methodology for concept generation
improvement. Research in Engineering Design, 26(1), 77-95.
Fu, K., Moreno, D., Yang, M., & Wood, K. L. (2014). Bio-inspired design: an overview
investigating open questions from the broader field of design-by-analogy. Journal of Mechanical Design, 136(11), 111102.
Markman, A. B., & Wood, K. L. (Eds.). (2009). Tools for innovation: The science behind the practical methods that drive new ideas. Oxford University Press.
Singh, V., Skiles, S. M., Krager, J. E., Wood, K. L., Jensen, D., & Sierakowski, R.
(2009). Innovations in design through transformation: a fundamental study of transformation
principles. Journal of Mechanical Design.
Hirtz, J., Stone, R. B., McAdams, D. A., Szykman, S., & Wood, K. L. (2002). A functional
basis for engineering design: reconciling and evolving previous efforts. Research in engineering Design, 13(2), 65-82.
Stone, R. B., Wood, K. L., & Crawford, R. H. (2000). A heuristic method for identifying
modules for product architectures. Design studies, 21(1), 5-31.
Otto, K. N., & Wood, K. L. (2000). Product Design. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.