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Dr. Kim Cardosi

Principal Technical Advisor for Aviation Human Factors

Dr. Kim Cardosi headshotKim Cardosi, PhD is the principal technical advisor in aviation human factors at the U.S. DOT Volpe Center. She received a PhD in experimental psychology from Brown University in 1985 and a private pilot certificate in 1990.

From 1985 to present, Cardosi has worked in both flight deck and air traffic control human factors at Volpe. Her research spans a variety of human factors issues aimed at assessing relative risk, minimizing flight crew and air traffic controller error in today’s operations and ensuring that future systems and procedures are designed to minimize errors and be error-tolerant of inevitable errors. Cardosi has conducted extensive research in controller-pilot voice and data link communications, runway incursions, safety metrics, and advanced Air Traffic Control operations. This research has been used to support many FAA programs and to develop internationally harmonized guidance and procedures.

She has conducted research in both voice and data link controller-pilot communications that has been used to characterize today’s operational (voice) environment and to develop internationally harmonized procedures for pilots and air traffic controllers using data link communications. The research on controller-pilot voice communications has also contributed to the current work developing required communication performance parameters for future (e.g., satellite) voice controller pilot communications. Cardosi’s expertise also includes display design, human factors testing and evaluation, and safety metrics. 

Her current work focuses on improving the integration of human factors methods into FAA certification activities, continuing to progress the development of Required Communication Performance for future applications of controller-pilot voice technologies, and ensuring that flight deck and air traffic controller phraseologies and procedures are globally harmonized to minimize errors. Cardosi’s many publications have enjoyed world-wide distribution, and some of these publications have been translated into Spanish by air traffic service providers for use in their countries.

View a list of reports by Kim Cardosi, PhD.