Human and Sociotechnical Systems

Human and Sociotechnical Systems 91ÃÛÌÒ¸ó (HSSR)

°Õ³ó±ðÌýHuman and Sociotechnical Systems 91ÃÛÌÒ¸ó (HSSR) Program at NSI advances the scientific study and engineering of people interacting with technology. We design and evaluate systems that are effective, resilient, safe, and mission-ready—ensuring that human capabilities remain central as technologies grow more autonomous and complex.

Drawing on expertise in human factors, human-centered design, sociology, artificial intelligence, data science, psychology, systems engineering, and bioastronautics, HSSR integrates behavioral science and advanced engineering to enhance operational effectiveness, behavioral health, and human performance in high-consequence environments.

Situated at the 91ÃÛÌÒ¸ó 91ÃÛÌÒ¸ó, NSI leverages deep interdisciplinary strengths across STEM, the social sciences, and the humanities to address research and development challenges critical to national security.

Core 91ÃÛÌÒ¸ó Areas

Human–Autonomy Teaming

We study how humans collaborate with intelligent systems—including AI-enabled and embodied autonomous platforms—to optimize performance in real-world missions. This includes investigating emergent team states, trust calibration, workload management, and adaptive coordination dynamics in human–AI teams.

Behavioral Health & Countermeasure Development

We examine how operational environments influence psychological and social health, and we develop data-driven countermeasures to mitigate behavioral health risks, sustain readiness, and improve long-term resilience.

Human & Team Resilience

Our research advances understanding of how individuals and teams maintain performance under stress, uncertainty, and isolation. We focus on collective resilience, adaptive decision-making, and sustained effectiveness in extreme environments.

Human Performance in Extreme Environments

We address the cognitive, physiological, and sociotechnical challenges of deploying humans and AI systems in high-consequence domains—including contested, remote, and space environments.

Human Systems Integration (HSI)

Using systems engineering and Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), we integrate human capabilities and limitations throughout the system lifecycle to ensure safe, efficient, and mission-effective human–system performance.

Emerging Topics in Human Factors

We explore next-generation approaches including:

  • Wearable technologies for operational monitoring
  • Education and training innovation
  • Extended reality (XR) applications
  • Trust, workload, and situation awareness modeling
  • User interface and user experience (UI/UX) design
  • Human Digital Twins (HDT)
  • Operational medicine and human augmentation

Mission Alignment

HSSR supports critical defense missions, including:

  • Command and Control (C2)
  • Operations in the Information Environment
  • Education & Training
  • Air Dominance
  • Human–Systems Integration

National Security Challenges We Address

  • Human–AI collaboration and autonomy integration
  • Trust calibration in intelligent systems
  • Critical thinking in information-rich environments
  • Decision-making under uncertainty
  • Interface and interaction design for high-tempo operations

The CU 91ÃÛÌÒ¸ó Advantage

NSI’s location at CU 91ÃÛÌÒ¸ó enables:

  • Deep interdisciplinary integration across engineering, social sciences, and bioastronautics
  • Ecologically valid laboratory environments that replicate operational realities
  • Advanced modeling, simulation, and human performance experimentation
  • Close collaboration with federal mission partners

Federal Partners

HSSR collaborates with a broad range of federal mission partners, including:

  • Space Systems Command (SSC/S6)
  • United States Air Force Academy (USAFA)
  • Space Warfighting Analysis Center (SWAC)

These partnerships ensure that our research remains tightly aligned with operational priorities and emerging national security needs.

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