Robert M. Santer, Adjunct Assistant Professor; Ph.D. (Industrial and Operations Engineering), The University of Michigan, 2007.

Recent IOE courses taught: 421

Office: By Appointment

Phone: (248) 982-5528

Web page:

CV: rsanter_cv.pdf

Dr. Santer teaches the IOE graduate / undergraduate course in engineering organizations, covering the foundations of organizational structure, operation and analysis. Presently, Dr. Santer is Chief Product Analyst for the Technology Business and Strategy Office within the Ford Motor Company's Research and Advanced Engineering organization. This organization is responsible for managing all of Ford's research and development activities, ranked second globally for total spending in pure and applied R & D. Dr. Santer is currently developing advanced innovation methods and techniques supporting next-generation automotive technology and product development. He is also responsible for pursuing future technology developments and weighing their potential impact on Ford's major brands worldwide.

Dr. Santer's primary research areas of interest involve:

• Technology portfolio selection and management
• Product innovation methods and development effectiveness
• Technology organizations and their management
• Organizational theory as related to the engineering function

Dr. Santer has 33 years of domestic and international industry experience in the aerospace and automotive fields as an engineering management professional and product analyst, with specific experience in aerospace engineering, automotive design, product engineering, research, technology planning, innovation methodologies, and organizational development. He has International design and production experience in both Europe and Asia.

He is also a national speaker on various automotive engineering topics to professional, business and university groups, and is a past consultant to university and industry regarding automotive related subjects.

Dr. Santer holds a Ph.D. in IOE (Engineering Management) from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He also holds a Bachelor's in Aerospace Engineering and a Master's in Engineering Management, also from the University of Michigan.