Kelly Byrne, Ph.D.

Human Factors Scientist

Dr. Kelly Byrne is a Human Factors Scientist at Guidance Engineering and Applied Research. In her work, Dr. Byrne utilizes her specialized knowledge of visual perception, cognition, perception response time, decision-making, and human subjects research to address human factors and performance issues. She applies her expertise to the analysis of driver/pedestrian perception and behavior, visibility and lighting, task performance, risk communication and warning compliance, and consumer choice. Dr. Byrne has analyzed human factors issues in transportation (e.g., vehicle, micromobility, pedestrian, and rail accidents), recreational sports, product liability, and premises liability cases including auto/pedestrian accidents, industrial/occupational accidents, driver gearshift and pedal errors, trips and falls, and fires, among others. Dr. Byrne has also published and presented scientific research pertaining to both typical and atypical visual perception, pedestrian behavior, and the effects of attention, expectation, and drug and alcohol use on human information processing and performance.

Dr. Byrne earned her Ph.D. in vision science at the University of California, Berkeley, where she also served as a graduate student instructor and lecturer. There, Dr. Byrne utilized a combination of psychophysics, behavioral pharmacology, eye-tracking, and neuroimaging to quantify and characterize plasticity in the human visual system. Specifically, her graduate work focused on the relationships between attention, visual perceptual learning, and chemical transmission in the brain. Additionally, Dr. Byrne has taught courses in neuroscience, optometry, and scientific writing to high-school, undergraduate, and graduate students. Dr. Byrne also has extensive experience in scientific communication to lay audiences. Through her ongoing work in STEM advocacy and outreach, Dr. Byrne has been invited to speak about her research and mentorship experience by several organizations including the National Student Leadership Conference, Mentoring in Medicine & Science, and Bay Area Scientists in Schools.