Members of our Division are passionate, bright, curious, and driven by a common goal as scientists, researchers and developers to support the NASA mission. If you are interested in working at the Human Systems Integration Division, please take some time to learn more about the Human Systems Integration Division, the types of work we do and the types of people that we work with.
About the Division
Human Systems Integration is a broad domain, covering a wide spectrum of disciplines and specializations. The focus of this research at NASA is on understanding and enhancing human interaction with complex aerospace systems, with the underlying goal of improving safety and efficiency for human operators. The nature of these interactions between humans and technology is complex and is constantly changing as new technologies, interfaces and machines continue to evolve over time. As such, the study of these relationships requires a diverse range of skills and knowledge.
Originally established in 1984 as the Aerospace Human Factors Research Division, NASA’s Human Systems Integration Division is a world-class research organization, consisting of a dozen labs and 180 civil servants, contractors and interns. The Division is located in an expansive two-story research facility at NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California.
Who Works Here
Employees come to the division with a background in experimental psychology, human factors, human-computer interaction and/or aerospace operations. Many of the civil servants and many of the contractors working in the division hold a Masters or Ph.D. in related fields. The Division also hosts a significant number of post-doctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate interns from related fields, as well as some summer high-school interns.
Technical Work
The work in the Division is broken down into three branches.
Human-Computer Interaction
The NASA Ames Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Branch contributes to the development of measurably better NASA software through careful application of HCI methods. We follow an iterative process that consists of user research, interaction design, and usability evaluation. It is commonly assumed that HCI is exclusively focused on interface design. However we are also focused on the users and their goals in order to build the right tool for NASA, which means that we are focused on functionality as well as interface.
Human Performance
Human Performance research at NASA investigates how astronauts and pilots behave and perform in various aerospace settings. To do this, NASA researchers in the Human Systems Integration Division’s Human Performance Branch study the relationship between the cognitive, physical and emotional factors which affect performance. Such research will be critical as NASA pushes the boundaries of aviation and space exploration, further emphasizing the need to maintain peak human performance in the extreme environments of Earth and outer space.
Integration and Evaluation
The Integration and Evaluation Group is committed to improving the efficiency and safety of the National Air Transportation System, with an emphasis on emerging operations enabled by increased automation. This group develops and evaluates methods to better integrate humans into future air transportation systems, drawing from human factors principles/expertise and related disciplines. The group includes full-mission laboratories associated with air traffic management, flight deck procedures, and remote piloting. It also includes labs dedicated to complex human-systems design and human-automation teaming.
NASA Job Information and Links
NASA is consistently named as the best place to work in federal government. Not only will you have an opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds on some of the most unique and challenging projects, but you will be given the opportunity to make a positive impact on humanity. If you are interested in applying to work at the Human Systems Integration Division at NASA Ames Research Center, we encourage you to browse this website to see if your experience and job aspirations are aligned with the work we do.
Many of the below links and others can be found at the NASA Ames Job website.
- Search NASA Jobs
- NASA Recruitment Brochure
- Contract Organizations that hire at NASA Ames Research Center
Internships
The Human Systems Integration Division at NASA Ames Research Center provides summer internship opportunities to students in various human-factors related fields of study. Please browse our Division website to see if there are research areas which interest you. You can find more information about our internships at the NASA Internships website.