About Us
The ATLAS Lab was founded in 2018 by Dr. Meredith Carroll to study and develop solutions to optimize human performance, cognition, and learning in aviation systems and beyond. Through systematic and applied research methods, the ATLAS Lab studies how humans process information; effectively team with machine and human counterparts; develop knowledge, skills and expertise; and the human factors which influence these processes in a range of complex systems.
The ATLAS Lab also evaluates current technology solutions to make recommendations for streamlining human performance and designs unique training and education tools grounded in human factors, and cognition and learning theory. The ATLAS Lab conducts research in a range of domains both within and outside of aviation, including commercial, military and general aviation; unmanned aircraft systems (UAS); urban/advanced air mobility (U/AAM), aviation maintenance; air traffic control; a range of military operations; and complex systems, in general.
Focus Areas:
Urban/Advanced Air Mobility. Research projects include investigating pilot interfaces for the next generation of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to support air taxi and cargo operations. Also, currently examining a range of AAM training implications, such as the impact of levels of automation, pilot experience and the use of virtual reality for future eVTOL operations.
Cognition and Decision Making. Recent research efforts have examined pilot decision making in complex dynamic systems, including the impacts of stress and uncertainty, such as when conflicting information is encountered.
Human Machine Teaming. Currently investigating the development and maintenance of human trust in autonomous agent teams, including the impact of trust violations and repair strategies in a multi-member HAT, and how trust can be captured with real-time and unobtrusive measures.
Human Performance and Individual Difference. Recent research has examined the impact of various individual difference factors such as personality type, motivation, cognition ability, and resilience to stress on human performance and learning.
Learning and Expertise Development. Current research efforts are investigating methods and pedagogical tools to attract, engage, and train more women and minorities in the cybersecurity field. Efforts also include examining the effectiveness of adaptive training techniques to enhance engagement, and learning outcomes.