Engineering Consultants

Our Team

OUR PEOPLE

Anand S. Iyer

Managing Principal

Zach Harrison

Managing Engineer

Briana Cardenas

Engineer

Robert Marley

Consultant

Gabriel Ibarra-Mejia

Consultant

Sang D. Choi

Consultant

More about our team

  • Jeff Fernandez
  • Anand Subramanian Iyer
  • Zach Harrison
  • Briana Cardenas
Jeff Fernandez

Jeff Fernandez, PhD, PE, CPE - Principal

Office: (703) 395 6934

Email: jf@jfa-inc.com

Contact: Resume, VCF

Dr. Jeffrey Fernandez is a Principal at JFAssociates, Inc. based in the Washington, DC area. He has a MS and PhD in industrial engineering from Texas Tech University. He is a registered professional engineer (PE) and a certified professional ergonomist (CPE) and is known for his expertise in occupational ergonomics and classical industrial engineering. From 1999 to 2003, Dr. Fernandez worked as a senior managing engineer at Exponent, Inc. From 1986 to 1999, Dr. Fernandez was a professor in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, and co-director of the Manufacturing Innovation and Design (MIND) Center, at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. In 1993, Dr. Fernandez served as a Senior Research Associate for the National Research Council (NRC) at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). From 2003 to 2008, he was involved in testing and evaluation for a U.S. Army ATD.

Dr. Fernandez is a fellow of the Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors, and a member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, the International Society of Occupational Ergonomics and Safety, and the Society for Industrial and Systems Engineering. From 2010-2016 he was on the board of directors of the Board of Certification of Professional Ergonomics (BCPE) and in 2015-2016 he was the President of the Board of Certification of Professional Ergonomics. In 2004-2005, he was the president of the International Society of Occupational Ergonomics and Safety. He has published more than 200 articles nationally and internationally. Dr. Fernandez is co-author of Applied Occupational Ergonomics: A Textbook – Fourth Edition and co-author of Ergonomía Ocupacional: Diseño y Administración del Trabajo. From 1995-2010, he was the news editor of the International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics; and from 1995-2011, he was the managing/executive editor of the International Journal of Industrial Engineering. He is on the editorial board of the EHS Today, Industrial and Systems Engineering Review, and the International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. At present, Dr. Fernandez is an adjunct professor at the Catholic University of America, Binghamton University, and George Mason University.

Credentials and Professional Honors

  • PhD, Industrial Engineering, Texas Tech University, 1986
  • MS, Industrial Engineering, Texas Tech University, 1983
  • BE, Mechanical Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology, 1982
  • Licensed Professional Engineer, Texas, #71020
  • Certified Professional Ergonomist, #263

Selected Relevant Experience

Consulting experience includes the following industrial sectors:

  • Aerospace
  • Amusement parks
  • Automobile
  • Call Centers
  • Computer accessories
  • Construction trades
  • Defense
  • Department stores
  • Electronic manufacturing
  • Energy Entertainment
  • Financial institutions
  • Food processing
  • Foundry
  • Furniture manufacturing and distribution
  • Healthcare
  • Hospitality
  • Landscaping
  • Newspapers
  • Parcel and postal
  • Pharmaceutical
  • Plastics manufacturing
  • Railroad
  • Retail Stores
  • Security
  • Small and large assembly
  • Telecommunications
  • Transportation
  • U.S. Government
  • Warehouse
  • Served as an expert on several time and motion projects involving a variety of occupational tasks. Designed study, visited site, collected and analyzed data, prepared reports, and provided litigation support.
  • Served as an expert for a chicken processor in enforcement action brought by the Wage and Hour Division, U.S. Department of Labor. Results of my time study were adopted by both parties in the ultimate settlement agreement.
  • Served as an expert on several suitable seating projects involving a variety of tasks. Designed study, visited stores, collected and analyzed data, prepared reports, and provided litigation support.
  • Served as a consulting expert for OSHA on numerous occasions in the ergonomic evaluation of work places as it relates to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Prepared reports and provided litigation support
  • Led a test and evaluation team for a U.S. Army ATD. Designed, planned, conducted numerous evaluations in the field, analyzed data, and presented results in the form of reports and briefs.
  • Worked with companies to comply with aspects of settlement agreements, involving a number of ergonomics-related OSHA citations. Developed ergonomics programs, redesigned work places, trained employees, developed a focus group, and assisted in designing tools.
  • Provided various companies and agencies with assistance in implementing Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. Assignments involved the design or redesign of independent living tasks, work-place tasks, and assistive devices for individuals with disabilities (e.g., Down’s Syndrome, spinal cord injuries, spina bifida, cerebral palsy).  
Anand Subramanian Iyer

Anand Subramanian Iyer, PhD, CPE, ASP, CSSBB - Managing Principal

Office: (703) 938 2895 / (703) 395 1594

Email: aiyer@jfa-inc.com

Contact: Resume, VCF

Anand Subramanian Iyer is the Managing Principal at JFAssociates, Inc. based in the Washington, DC area. Dr. Iyer has a Doctoral and Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. He is an Associate Safety Professional (ASP), a Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE), a Certified Six-Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB), and OSHA-30 certified (OSHA30). Since 2003, Dr. Iyer has been part of the JFAssociates' team providing consulting services in the industrial engineering domain including ergonomics, time and motion studies, safety, process improvement, economic analyses, facilities planning, and warehouse design. His responsibilities include experimental design, data collection, video analysis, statistical data analysis, data modeling, reporting, developing training modules, conducting safety audits, hazard evaluation, etc. He has co-authored more than 40 publications and conducted research and consulting in applied industrial engineering, time studies, occupational ergonomics, safety, and process improvement. He has made presentations at several prestigious Industrial Engineering and Ergonomic conferences.

Dr. Iyer is co-author of Product Development- A Structured Approach to Consumer Product Development, Design, and Manufacture - Second Edition published by Elsevier in 2014. Currently, he serves as the co-editor of the Industrial and Systems Engineering Review (ISER) an open-access journal (ISSN# 2329-0188) aimed at the advancement of industrial and systems engineering theory and practice as applied to any enterprise system. He serves as the treasurer of the International Society of Occupational Ergonomics (ISOES), an associate editor of Ergonomics-In-Design, a member-at-large of the Advisory Group Committee for the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), a member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES), and a peer-reviewer for the Industrial and Systems Engineering Review (ISER) and the International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics (IJIE). From 2007 to 2011, he served as the managing editor of the International Journal of Industrial Engineering - Theory, Applications and Practice. From 2011 to 2016, he has also served on the board of directors for the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) National Capital Chapter. From 2011 to 2013, he served as the Assistant Vice President for Communication and Web Development for the Mid-Atlantic Region of the Institute of Industrial Engineers (presently called the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers – IISE). In 2015-2016, he was the President of the International Society for Occupational Ergonomics and Safety (ISOES).

Credentials and Professional Honors

  • PhD, Industrial Engineering, University of Cincinnati, 2007
  • MS, Industrial Engineering, University of Cincinnati, 2004
  • BE, Production Engineering, University of Bombay, 2001
  • Certified Professional Ergonomist, (#1367)
  • Associate Safety Professional, (ASP-34535)
  • Certified Six-Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB)
  • OSHA-30 Certified


Selected Relevant Experience

Experience includes the following industrial sectors:

  • Automobile
  • Aviation
  • Call centers
  • Communications
  • Computer chip manufacturing
  • Department stores
  • Drugstores
  • Electronic manufacturing
  • Energy
  • Financial institutions
  • Food processing
  • Foundry
  • Healthcare and hospital
  • Higher education
  • Hospitality and hotel
  • Landscaping
  • Parcel and postal service
  • Pharmaceutical
  • Professional staffing services
  • Plastics manufacturing
  • Restaurants
  • Retail stores
  • Security
  • Small and large assembly
  • Telecommunication
  • Transportation
  • U.S. Government
  • Warehouse
  • Served as an expert on ergonomics and time and motion related matters involving a variety of occupational tasks and industry settings. Designed study, visited site, collected and analyzed data, and prepared reports.
  • Served as an expert on suitable seating projects involving a variety of tasks. Designed study, visited stores, collected and analyzed data, prepared reports, and provided litigation support.
  • Worked with companies to comply with aspects of settlement agreements, involving a number of ergonomics-related OSHA citations. Developed ergonomics programs, redesigned work places, trained employees, developed a focus group, and assisted in designing tools.
  • Served as a project lead on several time and motion projects involving a variety of occupational tasks. Designed study, visited site, collected and analyzed data, prepared reports, and provided litigation support.
  • Conducted safety audits, hazard evaluations, risk analysis and safety trainings to reduce risk of injuries, decrease injury costs, and hazard elimination in a variety of industrial settings.
  • Conducted ergonomic analysis and proposed workplace solutions in a variety of industrial settings.
  • Provided hands-on training on ergonomics to employees and production leads at a chip manufacturing. This was to provide ergonomics awareness and to help promote safe work practices.
  • Provided office ergonomic evaluations and hands-on training on ergonomics in various organizations and government agencies.
  • Performed proactive/ reactive workstation evaluations to identify hazards; recommend effective countermeasure to reduce or eliminate the work related musculoskeletal disorders.
Zach Harrison

Zach Harrison, BSIE, CSSGB, CEAS - Managing Engineer

Office: (703) 938 2895 / (484) 252 1186

Email: zachh@jfa-inc.com

Contact: Resume, VCF

Zach Harrison is the Managing Engineer at JFAssociates, Inc. based in the Washington, DC area. He has his Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is a Certified Six-Sigma Green Belt, Certified Ergonomic Assessment Specialist, and OSHA-30 certified.

His responsibilities include conducting data collection, data analysis, data modeling, and data migration; ensuring data security; developing reports; performing quality control; reviewing literature; and providing support with engineering drawings. Additionally, as a Managing Engineer he oversees the scheduling and training of project team members. His areas of specialty include time and motion study, ergonomics assessment, work measurement and analysis, manufacturing systems design and analysis, simulation modeling, biomechanical modeling, safety, and OSHA regulation. He is detail-oriented and provides technical writing and quality control support for the development of reports. He has aided in organizing several prestigious Industrial Engineering and Ergonomics conferences. He has previously worked as a Safety Consultant from 2011 to 2014 with Chemconscious based in Downintown, Pennsylvania. He has authored conference proceedings papers and has presented at International conferences.


Credentials and Professional Honors

  • BS, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2011.
  • Certified Six-Sigma Green Belt
  • Certified Ergonomics Assessment Specialist (CEAS)
  • OSHA-30 Certified


Selected Relevant Experience

Consulting experience includes the following industrial sectors:

  • Automotive
  • Chemical Processing
  • Distribution and Warehousing
  • Department Stores
  • Food processing
  • Healthcare
  • Hospitality
  • Manufacturing
  • Professional Staffing Services
  • Retail Stores
  • Telecommunications
Briana Cardenas

Briana Cardenas, MS - Engineer

Office: (703) 938 2895

Email: bcardenas@jfa-inc.com

Contact: Resume, VCF

Briana Cardenas is an Industrial Engineer at JFAssociates, Inc. based in the El Paso, TX area. Ms. Cardenas has a Masters Degree in Manufacturing Engineering and Bachelors Degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas. She is a Certified Six-Sigma Black Belt, Certified ISO 9001:2015 Internal Auditor, and Problem Solving & Root Cause Analysis Certified. Her responsibilities include conducting Time Studies and Time Analysis, Ergonomics Analysis, Data Collection, Video Analysis, Data and Statistical Analysis, Report Writing, Evaluations using Industrial Engineering Techniques, Safety and Health Assessments and Audits, Process Improvement, and Business Development and Marketing.

Credentials and Professional Honors

  • MS, Manufacturing Engineering, The University of Texas at El Paso, 2023
  • BS, Industrial and Systems Engineering, The University of Texas at El Paso, 2022
  • Certified Six-Sigma Black Belt
  • ISO 9001:2015 Internal Auditor
  • Problem Solving & Root Cause Analysis Training
  • Systems Engineering Bootcamp

Selected Relevant Experience

Consulting experience includes the following industrial sectors:

  • Department Stores
  • Manufacturing
  • Retail Stores
  • Airline Industry
  • Warehousing and Distribution