Keith Doyle
Senior Lecturer, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Head of the Engineering Management Program
PRONOUNS he/him/his
Votey 239
33 Colchester Avenue
Burlington, VT 05405
United States
- Ph.D., Engineering Mechanics, University of Arizona
- MBA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Northeastern University
- B.S., Civil Engineering, Swarthmore College
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Areas of expertise
- Systems engineering
- Product development
- Technology development
- Project management
BIO
Keith was born and raised in Montpelier, Vermont and returned to the state with a strong commitment to give back to the community. His work as an educator is driven by a deep belief that Vermont’s future—and the future of our nation and world—depends on preparing the next generation of engineers, innovators, and technology leaders. Drawing on decades of industry experience, he brings real-world engineering, business, and leadership perspectives into the classroom to prepare students for impactful careers developing novel products, technologies, and systems.
Keith began his engineering journey at Swarthmore College and launched his career as a structural engineer at Itek Optical Systems outside Boston. He later pursued graduate studies at Northeastern University and the University of Arizona before beginning a three-decade association with MIT Lincoln Laboratory. There he contributed to and led the development of systems operating in undersea, ground, air, and space domains for national security applications. Roles included being the lead mechanical engineer for an airborne and a ground sensor, systems engineer for two space payloads, and project manager for a $100M airborne electro-optical sensor.
A builder of teams and organizations, he founded the Structural & Thermal-Fluids Engineering Group and grew it to more than seventy engineers and researchers. Along the way, Keith conducted research and led two internal research portfolios focused on novel engineering technologies. He later transitioned into senior leadership as Assistant Head of the Engineering Division, helping guide a workforce of more than five hundred personnel responsible for performing cutting-edge research and delivering operational systems into the field.
A committed contributor to his professional community, Keith is active in the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). He co-chairs the biannual Optomechanical Engineering conference, is a SPIE Fellow, and a recipient of the SPIE Technology Achievement Award. He has authored or co-authored more than forty technical papers, regularly teaches professional short courses, and is the lead author of the book Integrated Optomechanical Analysis. He also contributed two chapters to the second edition of the Handbook of Optomechanical Engineering.
Keith and his wife Julie have three children—Ian, Kiera, and Kyle. In his free time, he enjoys biking, gardening, cooking, and health and fitness.
Courses
- Integrated Product Development (ME 3060 / BUS 3360 / EMGT 3061)
- Engineering Complex Systems (EMGT 3081)
- Engineering Project Management (EGMT 3051)
- Engineering Economics (EMGT 2041)
- Decision Analysis (BUS 2130)
- Capstone Design I & II (ME 4010 / EE 4100 & ME 4200 / EE 4200)
- Mechanics of Solids (ME 1140)
Awards and Achievements
SPIE Technology Achievement Award
SPIE Fellow, SPIE International Society of Optics and Photonics
MIT Leadership Award for Advancing Organizational Culture
Bio
Keith was born and raised in Montpelier, Vermont and returned to the state with a strong commitment to give back to the community. His work as an educator is driven by a deep belief that Vermont’s future—and the future of our nation and world—depends on preparing the next generation of engineers, innovators, and technology leaders. Drawing on decades of industry experience, he brings real-world engineering, business, and leadership perspectives into the classroom to prepare students for impactful careers developing novel products, technologies, and systems.
Keith began his engineering journey at Swarthmore College and launched his career as a structural engineer at Itek Optical Systems outside Boston. He later pursued graduate studies at Northeastern University and the University of Arizona before beginning a three-decade association with MIT Lincoln Laboratory. There he contributed to and led the development of systems operating in undersea, ground, air, and space domains for national security applications. Roles included being the lead mechanical engineer for an airborne and a ground sensor, systems engineer for two space payloads, and project manager for a $100M airborne electro-optical sensor.
A builder of teams and organizations, he founded the Structural & Thermal-Fluids Engineering Group and grew it to more than seventy engineers and researchers. Along the way, Keith conducted research and led two internal research portfolios focused on novel engineering technologies. He later transitioned into senior leadership as Assistant Head of the Engineering Division, helping guide a workforce of more than five hundred personnel responsible for performing cutting-edge research and delivering operational systems into the field.
A committed contributor to his professional community, Keith is active in the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). He co-chairs the biannual Optomechanical Engineering conference, is a SPIE Fellow, and a recipient of the SPIE Technology Achievement Award. He has authored or co-authored more than forty technical papers, regularly teaches professional short courses, and is the lead author of the book Integrated Optomechanical Analysis. He also contributed two chapters to the second edition of the Handbook of Optomechanical Engineering.
Keith and his wife Julie have three children—Ian, Kiera, and Kyle. In his free time, he enjoys biking, gardening, cooking, and health and fitness.
Courses
- Integrated Product Development (ME 3060 / BUS 3360 / EMGT 3061)
- Engineering Complex Systems (EMGT 3081)
- Engineering Project Management (EGMT 3051)
- Engineering Economics (EMGT 2041)
- Decision Analysis (BUS 2130)
- Capstone Design I & II (ME 4010 / EE 4100 & ME 4200 / EE 4200)
- Mechanics of Solids (ME 1140)
Awards and Achievements
SPIE Technology Achievement Award
SPIE Fellow, SPIE International Society of Optics and Photonics
MIT Leadership Award for Advancing Organizational Culture
Publications
Selected Publications
- Integrated Optomechanical Analysis, 2nd Edition, Doyle, K. B., Genberg, V. L., Michels, G. J., SPIE Press, Nov., 2012. (First edition, 2002).
- Two chapters in the Handbook of Optomechanical Engineering, editor, Anees Ahamd, 2nd Edition, CRC Press, Baca Raton, Florida, 2017.
- Conference proceedings (40+) listed in CV