Carolyn MacGregor

Carolyn MacGregor is the Associate Dean, Teaching for the Faculty of Engineering and an Associate Professor in the Department of Systems Design Engineering at the University of Waterloo.

Professor MacGregor's research applies her engineering and psychology degrees to the study of human factors, product design, and virtual environments. Her primary research interests are in the navigation and manipulation of virtual environments and 3D simulations, usability testing and human-computer interactions, and pedestrian and driver safety.

Her current projects include the development of virtual trailblazing techniques for human navigation, as well as the development of the "veball”, a 3D input device with haptic feedback for manipulating virtual objects in 3D applications. Prof. MacGregor has been actively involved in human factors research and consulting activities since 1980.

Her main areas of teaching focus on human factors engineering, user-centred design, user research methods, and cognitive ergonomics. As a discipline, human factors engineering is a combination of engineering, psychology, kinesiology and anthropology. The field of cognitive ergonomics strives to understand how humans process and manipulate information so that their limitations and capabilities can be taken into account when designing effective tasks, interfaces, and systems.

• individual differences
• information manipulation
• usability testing
• human-computer interaction
• driver performance and safety
• Cognitive Ergonomics
• Road Safety
• Virtual Environments
• Ergonomics
• Human Factors & Biomedical

• 1993, Doctorate, PhD, Industrial Engineering (Human Factors), University of Toronto
• 1988, Master's, MASc, Industrial Engineering (Human Factors), University of Toronto
• 1983, Bachelor's, Honours BA, Co-op Psychology, University of Waterloo

• BME 101 - Comm BME-Written & Oral
  • Taught in 2019
• BME 202 - Seminar
  • Taught in 2020
• SYDE 101 - Comm SYDE Written & Oral
  • Taught in 2019
• SYDE 102 - Seminar
  • Taught in 2020
• SYDE 162 - Human Factors in Design
  • Taught in 2016, 2017, 2018
• SYDE 301 - Seminar
  • Taught in 2020
• SYDE 348 - User Centred Design Methods
  • Taught in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
• SYDE 542 - Interface Design
  • Taught in 2020
• SYDE 543 - Cognitive Ergonomics
  • Taught in 2020
• SYDE 642 - Cognitive Engineering Methods
  • Taught in 2020
• SYDE 740 - Topics in Human Systems
  • Taught in 2019

• MacGregor, Carolyn and Talukdar, Taneem and Bains, Jasvir and Jo, Jason, Designing Design Team Experiences: Creating STeamER, Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association, 2011

• Currently considering applications from graduate students. A completed online application is required for admission; start the application process now.