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Human Perception and Performance Laboratory

Mission Statement

The Human Perception & Performance Lab advances NASA’s understanding of how human perceptual processes, physiological responses, and task demands influence performance in complex environments.

Research Areas/Projects

Applied Human Performance: Spaceflight

Spaceflight provides a natural laboratory for understanding how perception, physiology, and behavior adapt in extreme environments. Our lab contributes expertise in human performance in space, with a focus on how altered gravity and operational demands influence human performance.

Current work:

  • Developing pilot models to improve our understanding of human performance in spaceflight

Applied Human Performance: Aeronautics

Aeronautics provides a rich context for investigating how physiological and perceptual factors impact pilot performance. Our lab has expertise in physiological sensing and analysis methods that support research on human performance in flight‑related contexts.

Current work:

  • Applying physiological metrics to evaluate how pilots interact with and respond to next-generation collision avoidance systems (ACAS)

Foundational Perceptional & Sensorimotor Mechanisms

Foundational studies focus on the perceptual and sensorimotor systems that enable human performance in everyday and extreme environments. Our lab has expertise in a range of mechanisms that contribute to understanding how humans perceive and interact with the world.

Current work:

  • Providing subject matter expertise in eye tracking across human performance research

Personnel

Alisa Braun, Lab Director

Ph.D., Vision Science, University of California, Berkeley (2024)

B.S., Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Denver (2018)

Collaborators

Terence Tyson, Computational Vision Laboratory Lead, NASA Ames Research Center

Erin Flynn-Evans, Fatigue Countermeasures Laboratory Lead, NASA Ames Research Center

Rachel Jansen, Fatigue Countermeasures Laboratory, NASA Ames Research Center

Leland Stone, NASA Ames Associate, NASA Ames Research Center

Publications

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=LWaQbg8AAAAJ&hl=en

Contact Us

Alisa Braun, alisa.m.braun@nasa.gov

Link to Google Scholar

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=LWaQbg8AAAAJ&hl=en