What are some of the major challenges you face in your research?
SCC: It’s having to keep up to date both as a scientist and a commercial pilot — although it’s also my favourite part of the job! My research is at the intersection of aviation and psychology, which means I have to be competent in both fields.
I’ve had some days where I have a flight in the morning and research in the afternoon. When I’m in the airplane, I’m focused on being part of a flight crew working toward a specific mission. Sometimes, I’ve got nothing but a short drive between the airport and Loyola Campus to get back into a scientist’s mindset. It really teaches you to be flexible in the way you work.
What first inspired you to study this subject?
SCC: I’ve always been passionate about flying. I still remember the days flying around in a float plane with my father when I was younger. While in the aviation program at CEGEP de Chicoutimi, I spent my summers teaching air cadets to fly airplanes. It was there that I began appreciating the human factors of flying.
The fact that we can teach someone to fly a small airplane in 45 hours, the same time as an undergraduate course, was fascinating. Those teaching experiences brought questions such as, “What constitutes an expert pilot?” “How do we train one?” These are the foundation for my research today.
What advice would you give interested STEM students to get involved in this line of research?
SCC: It’s never too late to get into research; I never thought it would be my path. My first exposure was during an exchange program when I attended the City University of Hong Kong. I created a research program on flight crew fatigue involving airlines from around the world.
Back in Montreal, help from Aaron Johnson and my colleagues in the Concordia Vision Labs quickly got me to running my own project in the last year of my undergraduate degree.
Don’t hesitate to talk with your professors about your goals! When I got back from Hong Kong, I knew I wanted to study human factors in aviation. But there was very little research done on this topic in Montreal, despite it being a global capital for aviation. I asked one of my professors for guidance, who quickly referred me to my current supervisor. With his help, we have now started an exciting, innovative research program open to colleagues across the industry.
What do you like best about being at Concordia?
SCC: My colleagues in the MA in psychology program have such diverse backgrounds and objectives. It’s easy to find others when you want to discuss ideas — and for the odd procrastination coffee break. With such diverse areas of research, we can collaborate with other departments or disciplines to maximize the impact of our research.
For example, we collaborate with Catharine Marsden’s NSERC Chair in Aerospace Design Engineering lab in order to apply our human factors research methods to improve the way airplane cockpits are designed. It’s taught me a lot about the engineering design process while enabling me to share our research methods with another discipline.
Additionally, I love how quickly Concordia embraced this unconventional idea for research. The university has supported it through equipment and mentoring from colleagues and faculty. We now have a flight simulator readily available in-house for many projects. Concordia offers me the flexibility I need to combine graduate school with commercial flying.
Are there any partners, agencies or other funding/support attached to your research?
SCC: We collaborate with local airlines, flight schools and government agencies during various phases of research. This support often takes different forms, such as expertise or specialized equipment, depending on each project’s needs. I’ve received internal funding from Concordia through programs such as the Merit Scholarship.
Additionally, our work with the NCADE lab investigating differences in workload between single-pilot and two-pilot flying operations was supported by the NSERC Chair in Aerospace Design Engineering grant.
Find out more about Concordia’s Department of Psychology.