Cris K. Brazil

Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering
Berlin, Germany
E-mail: cristianekbrazil@gmail.com

Google Scholar Profile

Education

Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering

Fall 2022

Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA

GPA: 4.0

• Dissertation title: Exploring the implementation of virtual reality technology for the assessment of daily living activities

• Advisor: Dr. Malgorzata Rys

Graduate Certificate in Applied Statistics

Spring 2019

Kansas State University

GPA: 4.0

B.S. in Industrial Engineering

Spring 2016

Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Brazil

• Thesis Title: Quality of Life of Women of a Manufacturing Company

• Advisor: Dr. Fernando da Silva Amaral

Publications

1. Brazil, C. K. & Rys, M. J. (2024). The effect of VR on fine motor performance by older adults: a comparison between real and virtual tasks. Virtual Reality Journal.

2. Payne, K. B., Brazil, C. K, Apel M., Bailey, H. (2023). Knowledge-based intervention improves older adult recognition memory for novel activity, but not event segmentation and memory for event order. Scientific Reports.

3. Brazil, C. K., Pottorf, T. A., Miller, M., Rys, M. J. (2023). Using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment to examine the effect of the new Hotel Housekeeping California Standard. Applied Ergonomics Journal.

4. Brazil, C. K., & Rys, M. J. (2022). Technology Adherence and Incorporation to Daily Life Activities of Highly Educated Older Adults. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4167279 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4167279

5. Brazil, C. K., & Rys, M. J. (2021). COVID-19 Pandemic Behavioral Response in a Sample of Young Adults. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting. 2021;65(1):525-529. doi:10.1177/1071181321651232
   
   

6. Brazil, C. K., & Rys, M. J. (2020). Is Smartphone Usage Predicting Fear of Missing Out and Loneliness in a Sample from the Generation Z? Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 64(1), 791–795.
   
   

7. Brazil, C. K. (2020). Grouping of Daily Activity Difficulties for Development of Smart Technology. IIE Annual Conference Proceedings, 1-5.

Professional Experience

Instructor/Pollution Prevention Specialist Dec 2022 - Dec 2025

Pollution Prevention Institute

Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS

• Pollution Prevention Program Lead

• Principal Investigator on three Pollution Prevention (P2) grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, totaling over $1M, ensuring adherence to the proposed workplans and its execution.

• Principal Investigator on two new P2 grants totaling over $500k, set to start in 2025.

• Managing communication and reporting with the EPA.

• Writing grants to support the 100% grant-funded program.

• Building and maintaining partnerships with corporations and academic institutions to support the program's long-term sustainability.

• Providing expert pollution prevention technical assistance to businesses.

• Conducting pollution prevention and environmental justice training through seminars and lectures.

• Leading the summer internship program, overseeing a cohort of approximately 10 interns every year assisting various Kansas industries.

• Organizing public seminars to promote environmental justice in local Kansas communities.

• Collaborating with the K-State Salina Extended Reality Lab to develop a virtual reality P2 gaming product for advanced P2 training.

• Developing a green brewery initiative to promote sustainable practices in breweries in Kansas, including a green brewery label.

Graduate Teaching Assistant Fall 2017 – Dec 2022

Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering

Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS

Graded assignments, developed course material, assisted undergraduate and graduate students, conducted weekly help sessions and review classes, and guest lectured for the following courses:

• IMSE 785: Big Data Analytics (~40 students), Summer 20, Spring 21, Summer 22

• IMSE 685: Manufacturing Information Systems (~60 students), Spring 18

• IMSE 625: Work Environments (~30 students), Spring 21

• IMSE 623: Industrial Ergonomics (~60 students), Fall of 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22

• IMSE 610: Occupational Safety (~17 students), Spring 22

• IMSE 532: Industrial Project Evaluation (~30 students), Spring 19 - Fall 22

• IMSE 530: Engineering Economics (~100 students), Spring 19 - Fall 22

Graduate Research Assistant Spring 2020 – Fall 2022

Memory and Aging Laboratory

Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS

Advisor: Heather R. Bailey

Research projects:

• Memory Segmentation: experiment about the effects of knowledge-based intervention on segmentation and memory for everyday activities, sponsored by NIH. Approximately 85 older adults participated in this 4-visit experiment. Responsibilities included coordinating the fully remote two-week intervention, administering virtually the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA), training participants to use Zoom for the workshops, data post-processing and analysis.

• Functional Connectivity: experiment in partnership with Kansas University Medical Center (KUMC) to evaluate correlations between active brain regions when watching familiar versus non-familiar tasks. Responsibilities included securing the logistics of the fMRI data, and data pre-processing and analysis using FreeSurfer.

P2 Intern Summer 2019 and Summer 2020

Pollution Prevention Institute

Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS

• Worked on 26 different projects including air audits, light audits, solar energy, heat recovery, water reduction and hazardous material reduction.

• Reduction of $244,000 from 707,000 kWh, 15.2 tons VOCs, 19.1 tons HAPs, 7.2 tons solid waste, 1,400 gallons water and 16 million ft3 natural gas identified.

Strategic Sourcing Intern 2014-2016

John Deere, Montenegro, RS, Brazil

• Obtained quotes from suppliers, performed data analytics and generated reports for commodities and team projects.

• Contract Manager for all contracts in Brazil and Argentina with direct suppliers.

Courses Taught

CE 690 – Industrial Environment Sustainability Practices May 2023, Jan 2024, May 2024

• Enrollment: ~15 students

• Topics covered: pollution prevention strategies, industrial processes and lean engineering, engineering decision making and economics, pollution prevention equipment

IMSE 623 Laboratories – Industrial Ergonomics Fall 2018 - Fall 2022

• Enrollment: ~50 students.

• Student Evaluations: 4.9 out of 5.0

• Currently teaching this module for the fifth time.

• Topics Covered: statistical testing, sampling techniques, multiple regression, workstation design, hand tool design, time studies.

IMSE 532 – Industrial Project Evaluation Fall 2021

• Enrollment: ~30 students.

• Student Evaluations: 4.7 out of 5.0

• Topics Covered: uncertainty in future events, replacement analysis techniques, inflation and price change, and minimum attractive rate of return.

Honors and Awards

• Industrial Engineering Graduate Student of the Month, Kansas State University, December 2022

• Industrial Engineering Graduate Student of the Month, Kansas State University, November 2021

• Winner of the Research and the State Annual Forum, Kansas State University, October 2021

• College of Engineering travel award ($250), Kansas State University September 2021

• Departmental travel award ($500), Kansas State University, September 2021

• Graduate Student Council travel award ($500), Kansas State University, September 2021

• HFES 2021 International Conference Travel Award ($500), September 2021

• 1st place at the K-State Graduate Research, Arts, and Discovery (GRAD) Forum, First place winner of the Engineering, Math, and Physical Sciences session, April 2021

• Nominated for the Kyle Pelton Student Employee of the Year award, April 2019

• Selected as Outstanding Graduate Student of the IMSE Department, April 2018

Service

• Reviewer for the Virtual Reality Journal (Fall 2024-present)

• Reviewer for the Ergonomics Journal (Fall 2024-present)

• K-State Grad Forum Judge (Spring 2024)

• Kansas KidWind Challenge Judge (Spring 2024)

• K-State Research and the State Judge (Fall 2023)

• Kansas KidWind Challenge Volunteer (Summer 2023)

• Presenter at the Multicultural Academic Program Success (MAPS) Impact program on Sustainability and Pollution Prevention Initiatives (Summer 2023)

• K-State Office for the Advancement of Women in Science and Engineering GROW Workshop Facilitator – Earth’s Thermostat (Spring 2023)

• K-State Grad Forum Judge (Spring 2023)

• Reviewer, HFES International Annual Conference (2020, 2021)

• Volunteer, Girl Scout Outreach Event with Society of Women Engineers, Kansas State University (2018)

Professional Affiliations

• P2 R7 Roundtable (2022 – 2025)

  • Chair of the leadership committee for 2024-2025

• Artificial Intelligence in Engineering Education at Kansas State University (Fall 2024 – Spring 2025) 

• Kansas Environmental Conference planning committee member (2023 – 2025)

Selected Conference Presentations

1. Krishnamoorthy, R., Brazil, C. K. Navigating Solvent Alternatives: Strategies, Challenges, and Successes. 2025 Kansas Environmental Conference in Manhattan, KS. Slides available at: https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/52205/Navigating-Solvent-Alternatives
   
   

2. Brazil, C. K., Pollution Prevention Education Reimagined: From Field Training to Virtual Reality. 2024 Kansas Environmental Conference in Manhattan, KS. Slides available at: https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/52204/KEC_Pollution-Prevention-Education-Reimagined
   
   

3. Brazil, C. K., 2024 EPA P2 Grantee Meeting in Washington, DC.

2. Brazil, C. K., 2024 Kansas Facilities Conference in Topeka, KS.

3. Brazil, C. K., Environmental Justice. 2024 Kansas Environmental Conference in Manhattan, KS.
   
   

4. Brazil, C. K., Aerospace Pollution Prevention. 2024 Kansas Environmental Conference in Manhattan, KS.
   
   

5. Brazil, C. K., Tobia, A., Calley, T (2023). Industry Source Reduction Case Studies. 2023 Kansas Environmental Conference in Manhattan, KS.
   
   

6. Brazil, C. K., Baker, M. (2023). Solvent Parts Washing Alternatives Testing. 2023 Kansas Environmental Conference in Manhattan, KS.
   
   

7. Brazil, C. K., & Rys, M. J. (2021). COVID-19 Pandemic Behavioral Response in a Sample of Young Adults. Oral Presentation at the 65th International Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Conference in Baltimore, MD.

8. Brazil, C. K., & Rys, M. J. (2020). Is Smartphone Usage Predicting Fear of Missing Out and Loneliness in a Sample from the Generation Z? Oral Presentation at the 64th International Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Conference, Virtual.
   
   

9. Brazil, C. K. (2020). Grouping of Daily Activity Difficulties for Development of Smart Technology. Oral Presentation at the International Industrial and Systems Engineering Annual Conference & Expo 2020, Virtual002E

Invited Lectures

1. Pollution Prevention and Environmental Justice. GEOG 370 – Environmental Justice, Geography Department, Kansas State University (October 2024)

2. Pollution Prevention and Environmental Justice. Presentation to faculty at Cloud County Community College, Clay Center, Kansas. (October 2024)

3. Integrating Pollution Prevention into Geoscience Education. GeoCAT Workshop, Geology Department, Kansas State University (June 2024)

4. U.S. healthcare sector-related emissions. VCS 892 - Sustainable Veterinary Medical Practice, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University (January 2024, January 2025)

5. Water and energy utilization. VCS 892 - Sustainable Veterinary Medical Practice, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University (January 2024, January 2025)

6. Pollution Prevention in Kansas: Successful Industry Projects with Metal Fabricators. Wichita Industrial Trade Show, in Wichita, KS. (October 2023)

7. Measuring Environmental Impact. Presented a Senior Capstone Project (ME575), Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, Kansas State University. (September 2023)
   
   

8. Pollution Prevention in Kansas Successful Industry Projects​. Presented at the East Carolina University Sustainability Webinar Series. Virtual. (March 2023)

9. Ergonomics and Pollution Prevention​. CE-690 - Industrial Environment Sustainability Practices (January 2020)

Leadership Roles

• Chair of the P2 R7 Roundtable, Fall 2024-Fall 2025

• Co-Chair of Student Affairs for the Graduate Student Council, KSU, Fall 20-Spring 22

• President of the Graduate Committee, IMSE, KSU, Fall 19

Professional Development

• Unity Essentials, 2020

  • Unity Play Profile: https://play.unity.com/u/crisbrazil

• Unity Create with VR for Education, 2021

• Montreal Cognitive Assessment Administration Certification, 2021

• Clinical Dementia Rater, 2019

Skills

• Programming Languages: R, Python, SQL, Unix, C#, Pyspark

• Languages spoken: Portuguese, English, Spanish (intermediate), German

• Statistical Software: Minitab, JMP, SAS

• Adobe Software: Premiere, Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects

  • Created and edited 50+ tutorials for online classes since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (video sample).

• Unity and Unreal Game Engines