People of NRL: Noelle Brown

Say hello to U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Engineering Psychologist, Noelle Brown!

Title:?U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Engineering Psychologist, Immersive Simulations Section (Code 5582), Information Management and Decision Architectures Branch (Code 5580), Information Technology Division (Code 5500)

Education: Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology, Louisiana State University

Masters in Cognitive Psychology, Louisiana State University

Bachelors in Psychology, University of Central Florida

What was your career path prior to your current position: After earning my doctorate, I started my career at NRL in 2012 as a Karle’s Fellow in the Geospatial Human-Computer Interaction Section. While there my research focused on attention, memory and decision making with an emphasis on understanding the effects of visualizing information in geospatial displays on human decisions and biases. In 2018, I transferred to the Immersive Simulations Section where my research has pivoted slightly to include the use of eye tracking and psychophysiological measures to better understand human cognitive performance and human-computer interactions.

What inspired you to pursue your particular field: I took a couple of cognitive psychology courses as an undergrad and was inspired by the innovative empirical methods scientists in the field used to understand human behaviors and improve functioning in everyday life.?

How does your work impact the Navy’s mission: People are the backbone of the Navy and are essential to the success of the Fleet. However, we all experience bottlenecks in cognitive functioning brought on by increased mental workload, stress, and fatigue that often lead to human errors. My research seeks to not only manage, but mitigate these effects to enhance warfighter readiness.

What’s the most promising new development you’re working on in your field: Developing a suite of psychophysiological tools (eye tracking, heart rate variability, galvanic skin conductance) and measurements to better understand the neurophysiological conditions (e.g., workload, anxiety, arousal, etc.) that impact human performance.

How I came to be a U.S. Naval Research Laboratory employee: One of the faculty members at Louisiana State University was collaborating on a project with NRL and made the Lab aware of my dissertation research which investigated how transient changes visual attention affected performance on goal-directed tasks. The Lab was interested in how my research could be leveraged to support the Navy and the rest is history!

What I like best about working at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory: I really enjoy working with so many great people and the incredible projects that I have had the opportunity to be a part of.

Pivotal Career Moments/Experiences: One pivotal experience was spending nearly a week aboard the USS Carl Vinson. I was there in support of a decision making project but learned so much more about how the Navy operates at sea and where my research might be helpful in advancing warfighter performance.??