Who we are
Founded in 1981 as the Center for Computer-Aided Design (CCAD) by Professor Edward J. Haug, the University of Iowa Technology Institute (ITI) is currently under the direction of Karim Abdel-Malek, professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Virtual Soldier Research Program.
In 2019, the Iowa Board of Regents approved renaming the CCAD as the ITI. The renaming recognized the significant growth in the team and labs and expansion of research focus well beyond computer-aided design to biotechnology, energy and environment, flight research, and more.
The ITI is part of the College of Engineering. Most faculty hold appointments in the College of Engineering, although many hold additional appointments in other disciplines and their research intersects with faculty from colleges across campus as well as from other universities.
What we do
The University of Iowa Technology Institute is a multidisciplinary research hub that conducts trailblazing basic and applied research and invents advanced technologies to enable a safer and more productive future built on collaboration.
We provide a unique environment for research and development, spanning 30 labs with the involvement of more than 200 faculty, staff, students, and other collaborators. At the heart of ITI's core values is a strong belief in science. We strive to advance the field of modeling and simulation at all levels through a multi-disciplinary approach. Our researchers integrate mathematics, computers, programming, clinical approaches, data, and hardware into functioning prototypes and programs that can help people, and we have a strong focus on and tradition of transferring technology to the market.
Current research areas involve flight testing and human performance, human modeling and simulation, advanced manufacturing technology and robotics, biomedical and biochemical science and engineering, machine learning, smart sensors, remote sensing, renewable energy, and modeling of environmental change.
Notable developments over the years have included the Iowa Driving Simulator, the National Advanced Driving Simulator, and the virtual human Santos.
ITI has a number of strategic partnerships with government and corporate entities, which help fund and support our research and technology development. Partners include US Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and companies such as Ford, GM, Chrysler, Collins Aerospace, John Deere, Caterpillar, NASA, and many others.
Our mission
To cultivate collaboration across disciplines, invent advanced technologies, and conduct trailblazing research in design, simulation, and experimentation that enables a safer and more productive future.
Our promise
To deliver safe, intelligent, and creative human-centric solutions to the defense, transportation, manufacturing, and biotech/medical sectors through our collaborative engineering and problem-solving approaches and our leadership in high-fidelity human modeling, advanced driving simulation, flight research, bio-tech, and advanced manufacturing.