Katie Parnell

Hi, I am Katie. I am a Human Factors Research Fellow within the Transportation Research Group (TRG) at the University of Southampton. I joined TRG in 2013 to conduct my doctorate studies into driver distraction and in-vehicle display interfaces. Since then, I have broadened my research into the aviation domain, working on a project to develop and design future commercial aircraft interfaces. I am also now working on a project focusing on trust in future automated systems, focusing on resilience in future automated transport systems.

As a researcher in the area of Human Factors Engineering I am well informed on the need to design systems that ensure the safety, usability and well-being of user. While this sounds like a simple requirement of any system, the engagement of Human Factors and user-centred approaches can be difficult to convey and integrate into industrial processes. After reading ‘Invisible Women’ it was evident to me that there is still so much more that needs to be done to ensure that systems are designed for everyone. Forming the CtGDG group has been a really motivating experience to explore how we can help to close the gender data gap in our own areas of research and try to make the world a more inclusive place.