IEA Distinguished Service Award for Professor Jan Dul

Jan Dul, professor of technology and human factors at the Department of Technology and Operations Management at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) has been selected as the winner of the 2015 IEA Distinguished Service Award. The award is presented once every three years for outstanding contributions to the promotion, development and advancement of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA) and the profession.

The IEA Distinguished Service Award was presented at the IEA Triennial Congress in Melbourne, Australia in August. IEA President Eric Min-yang Wang said Professor Dul has served the IEA in many capacities. “He served for many years as a council member for the Dutch society, served on numerous committees, and was a member of the IEA Executive Committee from 2006-2009.”

Future of ergonomics

Professor Dul most notably chaired an IEA task force on the Future of Ergonomics. In this role, he guided a group of leading human factors and ergonomics professionals through a process to articulate the scope of the field and lay out a vision for the future. “This was a monumental task undertaken under short time constraints,” said President Wang. “The result was a publication that appeared in Ergonomics in 2012 and has been the topic of many discussions around the world about our shared future. It has sparked discussions and caused many people to think about our profession from the long view. This is consistent with the strategic work that Professor Dul has taken on in his writing and research.”

The IEA president added that Professor Dul has always served the lEA willingly and has been a great leader. “He is a valued member of the IEA family. The IEA is indebted to him for his many years of great service. Congratulations for this well-deserved recognition.”

Society welfare

Professor Dul said he feels “very honoured” to receive this prestigious award. “I’m glad that my work and ideas are broadly appreciated and accepted within our research and practice community. The award encourages me to further devote my time for enhancing our discipline and profession, which is so needed for the welfare and well-being of our societies.”

In 2013, Jan Dul received the reputable 2013 Liberty Mutual Award for his scientific paper A strategy for human factors/ergonomics: developing the discipline and profession. This paper proposes a shift of the basic positioning of field from a health and safety focus towards a more business focus.

The International Ergonomics Association (IEA) is the federation of ergonomics and human factors societies around the world, representing some 25,000 researchers and practitioners world-wide. Its mission is to elaborate and advance ergonomics science and practice, and to expand its scope of application and contribution to society to improve the quality of life, working closely with its constituent societies and related international organisations. www.iea.cc

More information

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) is one of Europe’s top-ranked business schools. RSM provides ground-breaking research and education furthering excellence in all aspects of management and is based in the international port city of Rotterdam – a vital nexus of business, logistics and trade. RSM’s primary focus is on developing business leaders with international careers who can become a force for positive change by carrying their innovative mindset into a sustainable future. Our first-class range of bachelor, master, MBA, PhD and executive programmes encourage them to become critical, creative, caring and collaborative thinkers and doers. www.rsm.nl

For more information on RSM or on this release, please contact Erika Harriford-McLaren, Media & Public Relations Manager for RSM, on +31 10 408 2877 or by email at harriford@rsm.nl.