Harold G. Kaufman ,

Ph.D.

Dr. Harold G. Kaufman is Professor Emeritus and Senior Research Scientist (formerly Research Professor) in the Department of Technology Management and Innovation at the New York University Tandon School of Engineering (formerly Polytechnic).  As Professor of Management, Dr. Kaufman served as Academic Director of the MS in Organizational Behavior, Systems and Analytics (OBSA) program.  He established this graduate program as a unique and pioneering curriculum integrating the management of people, organizations, technology and analytics.  Dr. Kaufman kept the program, as well as the annual conferences he initiated in Human Capital Innovation in Technology and Analytics, at the cutting edges of technology in HRIS, talent management, work engagement, human capital engineering and data analytics. Key courses in this program have been integrated into the People Analytics knowledge area in the MS in
Management of Technology. Co-sponsors of his annual conferences have included Accenture, ADP, Aon, J&J, Mercer, SAP and Willis Towers Watson, to name a few. In addition to Dr. Kaufman’s activities in New York, he established and served as Academic Director of the Department’s Master’s programs in Israel, which have over 1500 graduates, many in executive positions, especially in high-tech industry.  

Dr. Kaufman’s most recent teaching responsibilities have included Career Management,  Seminar in Managing HR Analytics and Big Data, Seminar in Organization and Career Change as well as the Research Project in Organizational Behavior and Human Capital Systems (a one to two semester mini-thesis required of all OBSA students).  He supervised research projects of up to about 30 students per year.  Graduates of the OBSA program have achieved success as executives, managers and professionals in the private, public and non-profit sectors.

In his research, Dr. Kaufman specialized in the study of utilization, obsolescence and career development of engineers and other knowledge workers.  He has reported his research in numerous conferences and publications, including three books.  His first book, Obsolescence and Professional Career Development, received recognition by the Harvard Business School as advancing the state of knowledge in the field.  Dr.  Kaufman’s research has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and other Federal agencies (e.g., NIMH, USDOL) as well as from non-governmental sources, such as the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Ford Foundation.   These grants were instrumental in establishing his research program in Science, Technology & Human Resources (STAHR).   In addition to his work in New York, Dr. Kaufman had a Post-Doctoral research appointment at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem as well as a Visiting Scholar position at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. 

More recently, Dr. Kaufman took the initiative in developing a long-range Research Program in Human Capital Analytics. With initial support by SAP, the research had focused on career paths among knowledge workers.  As Director of this research program, Dr. Kaufman put together a multidisciplinary NYU team comprised of specialists in organizational behavior/human capital management, machine learning, psychometrics and statistics. The focus has evolved into exploring applications of AI to predict future skills and their obsolescence as part of the Research Program in Human Capital Analytics.

Recognition of his earlier research contributions came when Dr. Kaufman was elected Fellow of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology as well as the American Psychological Association.  Also, in recognition of his research on engineers, Dr. Kaufman was one of six experts invited by NSF to contribute papers which helped establish the R&D program in Continuing Education in Science & Engineering (CESE) within the Education Directorate.  He subsequently was awarded four research grants from this program as sole PI.  Moreover, Dr. Kaufman was invited by the National Research Council to serve on the Panel on Continuing Education of the Committee on the Education and Utilization of the Engineer, in which he was responsible for the research. He was also invited to serve on the NSF-sponsored Committee for the Study of Engineering Utilization, with responsibility for integrating the research.  In addition, NSF awarded Dr. Kaufman travel grants to China and Japan to investigate continuing education and utilization of engineers.

Further professional recognition came when Dr. Kaufman received the Outstanding Paper Award for significant contributions to the literature from the Continuing Professional Development Division of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).   He subsequently was appointed to chair the Committee on Research in Continuing Professional Development of the ASEE.

Among his professional editorial activities, Dr. Kaufman served as Manpower Editor of the IEEE Engineering Management Review, Associate Editor and columnist for the IEEE Engineering Management Society Newsletter, and Equal Employment Chairperson in the Technology and Society Division of the ASME.  In addition, he served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Engineering and Technology Management. 

Dr. Kaufman is a Founding Member of the American Society for Engineering Management.  He also helped establish the Technology and Innovation Management as well as Careers Divisions of the Academy of Management, serving on Committees as well as evaluator of papers for these Divisions. 

In 1987, as a service to students, Dr. Kaufman initiated the award-winning Society for Human Resource Management student chapter PolySHRM - now TechSHRM, which has been selected as one of the top ten chapters in the country. He has served continuously as a proactive SHRM advisor, facilitating leadership and team development opportunities for members as well as the career development of students in technical disciplines. He was selected by National SHRM as the winner of the 2021 SHRM Student Chapter Advisor Impact Award. The award is presented by the SHRM Foundation to a deserving student chapter advisor who has made a positive impact in the lives of student members. (see below for additional background*).

Dr. Kaufman completed his Ph.D. at New York University in Industrial Psychology. He also holds a Master of Industrial Engineering from New York University and a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science & Art.

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* The PolySHRM/TechSHRM chapter has been awarded the Superior Merit Award by national SHRM for its innovative activities almost every year since its founding by Dr. Kaufman in 1987.  This is a record among student chapters in the New York area.  In the years 2008, 2011, 2020, 2022 and 2023 the PolySHRM/TechSHRM chapter was selected as one of the 10 most outstanding in the U.S. In addition, many of its officers have received the coveted Sherman Award from the New York chapter of SHRM.  PolySHRM/TechSHRM provides leadership and team development opportunities for its members as well as helping the career development of students in various areas of management, engineering and other disciplines.