Gourab Kar

Gourab Kar is design educator and researcher interested learning about ways to improve the human condition through evidence-based design interventions. His specific areas of design expertise include human factors and ergonomics, sedentary behaviour and health, universal/inclusive design, environmental design research, body-conscious design, and social and cultural factors in design.

Prior to joining IIT Delhi as a faculty member, Gourab was a postdoctoral scholar at the Interdisciplinary Center for Healthy Workplaces at the University of California, Berkeley.

He has been a design educator at Cornell University and at the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad where he was the coordinator of the Product Design Programme.

Gourab has worked as an industrial designer at Antenna Design in New York City, and at Pentair Water India Pvt. Ltd. in New Delhi. He has a Ph.D. in Human Behaviour and Design (Human Factors and Ergonomics) from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; a Master of Industrial Design (Universal Design) from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA; a Master of Design (Industrial Design) from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi; and a Bachelor of Architecture from the Birla Institute of Technology Mesra, Ranchi.

Information for Ph.D. Applicants

If you are applying for a Ph.D. in the Department of Design, IIT Delhi and consider me as a potential guide, here are a few things to do before you send me an introductory email

My current research areas are: Inclusive Mobility; Universal Design in the Indian Context; Sedentary Behaviour & Health; Age-friendly Built Environments; Design of Healthcare Environments. Please read essential literature on these topics before crafting your proposal.

Please look at my recent publications to see if there is a potential match between your research topic and my areas of expertise. If yes, tell me how?

My work uses a mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods borrowing from Sociology, Anthropology, Architecture, Cognitive Science and Psychology. Prior research experience in one or more of these domains is preferred, though not essential.

Your research proposal should have a narrative structure that has these elements:

1. What is your research about?

2. Why is the research important?

3. How will you conduct your research?

4. What will be the outcomes of the research?

5. Why are you interested in pursuing this research now?

The interviews for Ph.D. applicants to the Department of Design happen twice a year - once in May and in December. Please contact me with your proposal at least three months in advance, that is in February or in September of the same year.

Selected Publications

• Kar, G. (2021, November). Ergo-Studio – A case-study on teaching and learning ergonomics in a studio mode. In Proceedings of the Humanizing Work and Work Environments (HWWE) Conference, Guwahati.
• Kar, G., & Mullick, A (2021, May). Standards to Achieve Social Inclusion: The Case of the Indian Toilet-Bathroom. In Proceedings of EDRA Annual Meeting, Detroit, MI.
• Kar, G., & Hedge, A. (2021). Effect of workstation configuration on musculoskeletal discomfort, productivity, postural risks, and perceived fatigue in a sit-stand-walk intervention for computer-based work. Applied Ergonomics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2020.103211
• Kar, G., & Hedge, A. (2020) Effects of a sit-stand-walk intervention on musculoskeletal discomfort, productivity, and perceived physical and mental fatigue, for computer-based work. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2020.102983
• Sun, Y., Kar, G., Stevenson Won, A., & Hedge, A. (2019, November). Postural Risks and User Experience of 3D Interface Designs for Virtual Reality-based Learning Environments. In Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA. Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.1177/1071181319631023
• Gupta, S., Chen, S., & Kar, G. (2019, May). Graindrop – A biomimicry inspired concept to create resilient food-systems in local communities. In Proceedings of EDRA Annual Meeting, Brooklyn, NY.
• Kar, G., Sun, Y., Celikors, E., Villacreces, P., Misailedes, E., Schatz, M., Kim, J., Shi, Y., Gao, Y., Sun, J., Zhang, J., & Hedge, A. (2018, October). Effects of a dynamic foot movement device on cognitive performance in short-duration computer-based tasks. In Proceedings of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting 2018, Philadelphia, PA. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541931218621085
• Kar, G., Peditto, K, S., Guria, S., Moon, D., Stohler, J., Callan, J, R., Li, M., Fronsman, A, E., Lee, S, H., Cackett, M, A., & Hedge, A. (2017, October). Effects of active sitting chairs on short-duration computer task performance, postural risks, perceived pain, comfort and fatigue. In Proceedings of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting 2017, Austin, TX. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541931213601590
• Kar, G., Guria, S., Peditto, K, S., Moon, D., Stohler, J., Callan, J, R., Li, M., Fronsman, A, E., Lee, S, H., Cackett, M, A., & Hedge, A. (2017, October). Effects of active versus static standing on short-duration computer task performance, postural risks, perceived pain, comfort and fatigue. In Proceedings of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting 2017, Austin, TX. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541931213601591
• Kar, G., & Mullick, A. (2017, June). In-ground Workspaces – A Study in Cultural Ergonomics. In Proceedings of the Environmental Design Research Association Annual Meeting, Madison, WI. http://tinyurl.com/y3bwpo4e
• Kar, G., & Hedge, A. (2016, September). Effects of Sitting and Standing Work Postures on Short-Term Typing Performance and Discomfort. In Proceedings of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting (Vol. 60, No. 1, pp. 460-464). Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541931213601104
• Kar, G., Vu, A., Nehme, B. J., & Hedge, A. (2015, September). Effects of Mouse, Trackpad and 3d Motion and Gesture Control on Performance, Posture, and Comfort. In Proceedings of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting (Vol. 59, No. 1, pp. 327-331). Sage Publications. Nominated for Best Paper Award in Computer Systems Technical Group. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541931215591068
• Kar, G., & Mullick, A. (2015, May) Designing for Diversity: A Research Informed Design Study on Universal Workspaces. In Proceedings of the Environmental Design Research Association Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA. Winner of the Best Student Paper Award. http://tinyurl.com/y5hullj
• Vadaliya, P., Laroia, M., & Kar, G. (2014, December). InterCARE: A Cloud Computing Patient Care System. In Proceedings of India HCI 2014 Conference on Human Computer Interaction (p. 96). New Delhi, India. ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/2676702.2676714
• Mullick, A., & Kar, G. (2014, June). Research_Design: Inclusive Indoor Play. In Caltenco, H. A., Hedvall, P. O., & Larsson, A. (Eds.). (2014). Universal Design 2014: Three Days of Creativity and Diversity: Proceedings of the International Conference on Universal Design, UD 2014 Lund, Sweden, June 16-18, 2014 (Vol. 35). IOS Press. http://ud2014.se/wp-content/uploads/submissions/ud2014_submission_117.pdf
• Kar, G., & Mullick, A. (2014, June). Designing Universal Workspaces. In Caltenco, H. A., Hedvall, P. O., & Larsson, A. (Eds.). (2014). Universal Design 2014: Three Days of Creativity and Diversity: Proceedings of the International Conference on Universal Design, UD 2014 Lund, Sweden, June 16-18, 2014 (Vol. 35). IOS Press. http://tinyurl.com/y5asfc47
• Khare, R., Sankat, S., Arora, S., Chaurasia, D., & Kar, G. (2014, June). Exploring Issues for Indian Elderly through Intense User Centric Design Studio. In Caltenco, H. A., Hedvall, P. O., & Larsson, A. (Eds.). (2014). Universal Design 2014: Three Days of Creativity and Diversity: Proceedings of the International Conference on Universal Design, UD 2014 Lund, Sweden, June 16-18, 2014 (Vol. 35). IOS Press. http://tinyurl.com/y5asfc47
• Mullick, A. & Kar, G. (2013, October). People, Places and Potentialities in Design: Research Tools to Examine Challenges in Behind-the-Counter Work. In Proceedings of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting. (Vol. 57, No. 1, pp. 541-545). Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541931213571116
• Bhatt, B. M., Kar, G., Shashank, S., & Somarajan, S. (2013, September). Designing interfaces for healthcare workers: a case study of the electronic partogram. In Proceedings of the 11th Asia Pacific Conference on Computer Human Interaction (pp. 187-191). Bangalore, India. ACM. https://doi.org/ 10.1145/2525194.2525268
• Kar, G., & Mullick, A. (2012, June). Learning from People – A human-centered approach to universal design of workspaces. In Proceedings of the Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America Annual Conference. http://tinyurl.com/yy97mdtw
• Kar, G., & Mullick, A. (2012, September). Designing with Users: A case study for design of dental workspace. In Proceedings of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting (Vol. 56, No. 1, pp. 652-655). Sage Publications. Retrieved from, https://doi.org/10.1177/1071181312561136
• Kar, G., & Mullick, A. (Spring 2012). Universal Design at Work: A Case Study of Behind-the-Counter Workspaces. In Spandrel: Journal of School of Planning & Architecture Bhopal. (Vol. 2, Issue. 4. pp. 39-52). http://tinyurl.com/y6glottk
• Endicott, S., Mullick, A., Kar, G., & Topping, M. (2010, September). Development of the Inclusive Indoor Play Design Guidelines. In Proceedings of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting (Vol. 54, No. 20, pp. 1822-1826). Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.1177/154193121005402017
• Mullick, A., Kar, G., & Endicott, S. (2010, June). The Fun in Play: Independence, Assistance, Effort and Difficulty. In Proceedings of the Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America Annual Conference. http://tinyurl.com/y3ttpjv9
• Topping, M., Mullick, A., Endicott, S., Sung, W., & Kar, G. (2010, September). Children as Research Subjects: Methodologies for Collecting Data in Inclusive Indoor Play. In Proceedings of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting (Vol. 54, No. 9, pp. 703-707). Sage Publications. Retrieved from, https://doi.org/10.1177/154193121005400904
• Endicott, S., Kar, G., & Mullick, A. (2009, October). Inclusive Indoor Play: Children at Play. In Proceedings of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting (Vol. 53, No. 19, pp. 1527-1531). Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.1177/154193120905301913