diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 88dedfc..705ca63 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ AM_LDFLAGS=
 AM_CXXFLAGS=
 
 AM_CXXFLAGS += -g 
-AM_CXXFLAGS += $(OPTIMIZEOPT) $(CUDAOPT) $(FORINTOPT) $(DEBUGOPT) $(MATPTROPT)
+AM_CXXFLAGS += $(OPTIMIZEOPT) $(CUDAOPT) $(FORINTOPT) $(DEBUGOPT) $(PROFILEOPT) $(MATPTROPT)
 AM_CXXFLAGS += -DNO_STRASSEN -DFORTRAN_
 
 AM_CXXFLAGS += $(CBLASOPT) $(CLAPACKOPT) 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 8c6a344..0efe221 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -141,6 +141,15 @@ AC_ARG_ENABLE([debug],[  --disable-debug   not to perform some range-checking [[
  ,)
 AC_SUBST([DEBUGOPT])
 
+PROFILEOPT=""
+AC_ARG_ENABLE([profile],[  --enable-profile  to perform performance profiling [[default=no]]],
+    [case "${enableval}" in
+     yes) PROFILEOPT="-pg";;
+     no)  ;;
+     *) AC_MSG_ERROR([bad value ${enableval} for --enable-profile]) ;;
+     esac],
+ ,)
+AC_SUBST([PROFILEOPT])