Erik Goodman


Erik David Goodman is an American computer scientist and Professor Emeritus of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Computer Science at Michigan State University. He worked in evolutionary computation and genetic algorithms, and for co-founding Red Cedar Technology. He served as the founding Director of BEACON Center, a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center for the Study of Evolution in Action.

Education

Goodman received a B.S. in Mathematics from Michigan State University in 1966, an M.S. in Systems Science from Michigan State University in 1968, and a Ph.D. in Computer and Communication Sciences from the University of Michigan in 1972. At the University of Michigan, he was a member of the Logic of Computers Group, where John Holland pioneered the development of genetic algorithms. Bernard P. Zeigler served as his doctoral advisor.

Career

Academic positions

Goodman joined the faculty of Michigan State University in 1971 in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Systems Science. He was promoted to full professor in 1984 and held appointments in three departments: Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Computer Science and Engineering. He retired in August 2022 and became Professor Emeritus.
He directed the Case Center for Computer-Aided Engineering and Manufacturing from 1983 to 2002 and founded and directed MSU's Manufacturing Research Consortium from 1993 to 2003. In 1993, he co-founded the Genetic Algorithms Research and Applications Group at MSU.

BEACON Center

In 2010, Goodman became the founding Director and Principal Investigator of BEACON: An NSF Science and Technology Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, headquartered at Michigan State University. The center received initial funding of $25 million from the National Science Foundation and was renewed in 2015 for an additional $22.5 million, for a total of $47.5 million through 2020. BEACON is a multi-institutional partnership including Michigan State University, North Carolina A&T State University, University of Idaho, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Washington. Goodman stepped down as Director in 2019 and served as Executive Director until his retirement in 2022.

Red Cedar Technology

In 1999, Goodman and MSU colleague Ron Averill co-founded Red Cedar Technology, a company that developed design optimization software based on their research in genetic algorithms for automotive structural design. Goodman served as Vice President for Technology until 2010. The company's flagship product, HEEDS, includes the SHERPA algorithm, which Goodman helped develop and which became one of the leading design optimization tools in industry. Red Cedar Technology was acquired by CD-adapco in 2013 and subsequently by Siemens in 2016.

Research

Goodman's research has focused on evolutionary computation, particularly parallel genetic algorithms, genetic programming, and multi-objective optimization. His early doctoral research in 1970–71, applying genetic algorithms to solve real-world problems, is considered among the earliest practical applications of the technique.
His collaboration with Ron Averill on applying genetic algorithms to automotive structural design for crashworthiness, noise, vibration, and harshness led to the founding of Red Cedar Technology and the development of commercial optimization software used across automotive, aerospace, biomedical, and manufacturing industries.

ICT for Development in Tanzania

Beginning in 2008, Goodman co-founded and co-directed a service-learning study abroad program that brings internet connectivity and computers to rural schools in Tanzania. The program is titled Information and Communication Technology for Development in Tanzania. The project, initially sponsored by Lenovo, installed the first internet-connected computer classroom in a Tanzanian primary school in Mto wa Mbu, near Mount Kilimanjaro.
The program expanded to serve five schools with solar-powered computer labs, internet access, and video conferencing systems enabling distance education. Over 65 MSU students participated in the program over more than fifteen years. The program became institutionalized as part of MSU's undergraduate specialization in Information and Communication Technology for Development.

Awards and honors

Professional service

Goodman was a founding chair of ACM SIGEVO in 2005 and served on its Executive Committee through 2021. He previously chaired the Executive Board of the International Society for Genetic and Evolutionary Computation from 2003 to 2005. He was co-General Chair of the 2009 World Summit on Genetic and Evolutionary Computation in Shanghai, China, and chaired the first evolutionary computation conference held in Russia at the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow.