Sharon Joines is a researcher and ergonomist, teaching courses in human centered design and ergonomics. Her interests reside in universal design, applied product and process research, and the effect of aging on fatigue development and work. Her research focuses on quantifying the interaction between individuals, products, and their environment. Sharon works with engineers and designers in all phases of the design cycle. The challenges they have addressed traversed consumer markets, warehousing and distribution, medical applications, and manufacturing environments ranging from forging to clean rooms.

Before joining the faculty in Industrial Design and the Center for Universal Design, Sharon was the director of research and education at the Ergonomics Center of North Carolina. She was a John T. Caldwell Scholar, Merit Scholar, University Scholar, and NC Fellow. She is a member of the Order of Thirty and Three, Alpha Pi Mu, and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.