Industrial Advisory Board Members

Short Biography of Mr. Thomas Merle, P.E.

Mr. Merle is currently the Vice-President of Product Innovation at Design Contiuum.   He is responsible for the day to day operations of the product innovation business unit which includes the engineering, industrial design, interaction, human factors, and modeling capabilities within the company.   Since joining Design Continuum in 1998, Mr. Merle has been engaged in executive and strategic management of the company, proactive sales, project management, product development, and client relations for some of the company’s key accounts.   Mr. Merle’s particular strength is a holistic approach to product development that addresses the business, marketing, technical, and manufacturing execution of a project.

Prior to joining Design Continuum, Mr. Merle worked at the Eastman Kodak Company for 14 years in the research and product development arena.   He was involved with many significant product development activities in the consumer photography, office products, and government businesses.   He was actively involved in many projects where emerging technologies were being transitioned to breakthrough products.    He has worked closely with development and manufacturing partners around the world in a variety of product categories and was stationed in Europe during the launch of the largest product launch in the history of consumer photography.

Mr. Merle holds 23 patents in the fields of mechanical systems, electrophotography and photofinishing equipment and was honored with the Distinguished Inventors Award by the Chief Technical Officer of Eastman Kodak.  He is a member of the Industry Advisory Board for the Manufacturing Engineering Department at Boston University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in New York and Massachusetts and holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University, where he graduated as a Presidential Scholar with Great Distinction.

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