R. Key Dismukes

Dr. Dismukes recently retired as Chief Scientist for Human Factors in the Human Factors Research & Technology Division at NASA Ames Research Center. His research addresses cognitive issues involved in the skilled performance of pilots, their ability to manage challenging situations, and their vulnerability to error. Specific topics include prospective memory (remembering to perform deferred intentions), management of attention in concurrent task performance, and training crews to analyze their own performance. For more information on his research see http://human-factors.arc.nasa.gov/flightcognition/

Previously, Dr. Dismukes was Director of Life Sciences at the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. He received his PhD in biophysics from Pennsylvania State University and received postdoctoral training at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He has published papers in basic and applied psychology, neuroscience, and science and social policy. He holds airline transport pilot, B737 and Citation type, and glider instructor ratings, and won the 2010 1-26 soaring championships.

When not soaring, he writes on issues involving the interactions of science, technology, and society and the implications of modern science for age-old philosophical questions such as consciousness and free will.