Alan Hedge is a Professor in the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis, Cornell University.
His research and teaching activities focus on issues of design and workplace ergonomics as these affect the health, comfort and productivity of workers. His research themes include workstation design, computer ergonomics and carpal tunnel syndrome risk factors for workers, alternative keyboard and input system designs, the performance and health effects of postural strain, and the health and comfort impacts of various environmental stressors, such as the effects of indoor air quality effects on sick building syndrome complaints among office workers, and the effects of office lighting on eyestrain problems among computer workers. He has edited a book on Ergonomic Workplace Design for Health, Wellness, and Productivity, co-authored a book on:Healthy Buildings, co-edited Advances in Ergonomics Modeling and Usability and also the Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics Methods, published 41 book chapters, 76 peer-review journal articles and 167 refereed proceedings articles, 43 other conference proceedings, 15 technical reports, 13 legislative reports, 15 technical reports, and 155 additional conference presentations on ergonomics and related topics. He received the 2009 Oliver K. Hansen Outreach Award and the 2003 Alexander J. Williams Jr. Design Award from the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society for "outstanding human factors contributions to the design of a major operational system".
His professional activities are extensive. He is a Certified Professional Ergonomist and a Chartered Ergonomist. He is a Fellow of 3 societies - the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, the Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (formerly the UK Ergonomics Society), and the International Ergonomics Association. He was a founding member of the International Society for Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ) and also was an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He has also been a member of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America. He is on the editorial board of the journals Ergonomics, Journal of Environmental Psychology, Journal of Human Environment Systems, and the Journal of Architectural and Planning Research. He has also been on the editorial board of Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics, He is past president of the Environmental Psychology division of the International Association of Applied Psychology, and past chair of the Organizational Design and Management Technical Group of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, the US/ISO TAG SC5 committee of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, and the Work Environment technical group of the International Ergonomics Society (IEA). In 2011 he was appointed as the IEA Representative on Environmental Design.
Since 2012 he has been the Program Chair the for the National Ergonomics Conference and Exposition.
He is extensively cited in the national and international media and has appeared on several TV and radio programs, indeed the current President of the International Ergonomics Association recently said "he is perhaps the most often cited ergonomist in the media"