The work of the Adaptive Cognitive Systems Lab investigates the intersection of human factors (HF), complex automation, and decision making; the goals of are to increase safety and reduce errors in the operation of complex systems such as aircraft and spacecraft, enhance the effectiveness of training systems, and generate design guidance.

In collaboration with students, peer faculty, and external collaborators, our work addresses the fundamental research areas needed for human-autonomy teaming to fulfill its promise of operating as a teammate, including: adaptive systems, interaction paradigms, and the science of teams. Automation needs to adapt to the current situation without constant human direction. Human-autonomy collaboration requires richer methods of interaction, with a social element not found in traditional interaction with automation. Human-autonomy teams must support both task and team skills (e.g. coordination) to be successful. Additionally, my work has expanded to bring human factors methods to research projects that empower individuals and communities to make better decisions and encourage more inclusion in STEM.

Below are a selection of project conducted by our research group.