Knight was recognized for his many years of dedication and service to the manufacturing engineering profession, and for his contributions to technological and educational advancements in the field.
“Professor Knight is internationally recognized for his many contributions to design for manufacturability,” said Bahram Nassersharif, dean of the URI College of Engineering. “As a leader in the field of manufacturing engineering, his induction as an SME Fellow is well deserved and recognizes his outstanding contributions and long career in the profession.”
A resident of Jamestown, Knight served as chairman of the URI Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering for 12 years and currently serves as director of its graduate program. During his tenure as chairman, he oversaw development of the graduate degree program in manufacturing engineering at URI.
Knight is best known for developing methodologies for designing products so they can be more easily manufactured and recycled.
A software program he developed to help product designers minimize the environmental impacts of their products earned the Business Week Technology and Innovation Award in 1996. The program is in use at more than 40 major corporations and 40 universities around the world.
The co-author of four books, Knight has published over 120 articles and conference papers and made over 140 presentations to industry. He was the recipient of a medal for Best Conference Paper from the Institution of Production Engineers.
Since 1992, Knight has served as vice president of Boothroyd Dewhurst Inc., a software company specializing in product design for assembly and manufacture.
Knight earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Birmingham, a master’s degree from Oxford University, and a doctorate from the University of Birmingham.