Professor Karen Carr is Director of the Centre for Human Systems at Defence Academy College of Management and Technology, Cranfield University, Shrivenham.
Karen is a Chartered Psychologist, with degrees in Psychology (MA, Edinburgh) and Ergonomics (MSc, Birmingham), and an MoD-sponsored PhD in Experimental Psychology. Before joining Cranfield University at Shrivenham, Karen spent 21 years in defence industry, initially carrying out human factors research and providing consultancy support in the areas such as Human-Machine Interface, information management, design processes and tools, and synthetic environments. Customers included BAe Systems, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Airbus, Boeing, MoD and DoD. Karen became Head of the Human Factors department in BAE Systems before moving into the company’s Head Office to take on a more strategic role as Director of Capability.
In November 2006 Karen took up her present role to develop the Centre for Human Systems at the Defence Academy. She teaches a range of behavioural topics on courses covering Through Life Capability Management, Engineering, Acquisition and Leadership. She is currently leading an MoD research programme to take a pan-DLOD approach to supporting Cognitive Capability in Defence.
Karen is a member of several extra-mural committees and advisory groups. Currently she chairs the Defence Research Assurance Sub-committee of the Defence Science Advisory Council (DSAC), having been a Council member for several years. She also sits on the Defence Aviation Human Factors Working Group. Previously she was a member of the Council for Aeronautics in Europe working group on safety in global civil air transport, a member of DTI’s Human Factors National Advisory Council, and a member of the NATO Working Group on “Alternative Control Technologies”.