Research Interests

Research Interests/Areas of specialization

Advancing human-centered intelligent systems and engineering cyber–physical infrastructure, guided by a unifying goal: developing trustworthy AI that measurably enhances safety, reliability, productivity, and human performance in high-stakes, real-world operations. 

Core areas include neuro-inspired computing, human–AI–robot teaming (HART), and human-centered explainable AI (XAI), human-centric digital twins, industrial AI and smart manufacturing. 

Biography

Chang S. “CS” Nam, Ph.D., currently serves as Interim Director of the Center of Excellence in Product Design and Advanced Manufacturing (CEPDAM) at North Carolina A&T State University, where he leads interdisciplinary, industry-engaged research and education programs that integrate advanced manufacturing testbeds, data-rich learning environments, and AI-enabled cyber–physical systems. Having also held department-level leadership roles as chair/head and as Interim Director of CEPDAM, he offers the leadership profile required for this role: strategic vision, operational discipline, and a sustained record of expanding research and infrastructure, securing competitive external funding, and building durable industry, government, and academic partnerships—while sustaining a collegial, outcomes-oriented culture that supports faculty, staff, and students.

Nam earned his Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech in 2003. Over more than two decades, Nam has developed and validated human-centered intelligent systems and cyber–physical infrastructure that integrate sensing, analytics, optimization, and human-in-the-loop decision support. Nam has authored more than 85 peer-reviewed journal articles, 24 book chapters, 93 refereed conference papers, and six edited volumes with major publishers, and has led multimillion-dollar externally funded projects supported by agencies including NSF, AFRL, AFOSR, and NIOSH. Nam’s work has been recognized through multiple honors for impact and innovation. 

Nam’s awards include the NSF CAREER Award (2010), the Outstanding Researcher Award (2010–2011), and the Best Teacher Award (2010–2011). He is an HFES Fellow and a recipient of the 2018 U.S. Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship Program (AFSFFP) Award and the 2019 Leland S. Kollmorgen Spirit of Innovation Award (HFES Augmented Cognition Technical Group). Nam currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Research in Biomedical Engineering and Technology.