Dr. Harriet Black Nembhard established the Laboratory for Quality Engineering and System Transitions (QUEST Lab) in 1998. Our mission is to investigate the design and implementation of quality and productivity improvement methods in complex systems during periods of change and transition. This is accomplished through research that is focused on modeling the system dynamics to develop more efficient methods of monitoring, control, and valuation with the ultimate goals of improving the output, reducing variation, increasing flexibility, and driving economic return.

Our main research fields are applied statistics and quality engineering (including statistical control, process monitoring, design of experiments, and response surface analysis), and financial engineering (including economic decision making and real options). Our work is often motivated by manufacturing applications where customer demands drive shorter development cycles, production runs, and product life cycles. At the operational level, this may increase the number and impact of transition events (such as line shut downs, maintenance, product changeovers, and so on). At the strategic level, this may alter capital investment and supply chain strategies (such as outsourcing).

The QUEST lab is located in room 362 of the Leonhard Building and provides modern computing facilities, software, and demonstration aids for research and teaching purposes within the scope of our work. The purpose of this site is to disseminate our activities. We welcome your inquiries.