E. Donald Sussman, Ph.D., Alumni
Dr. Sussman was the chief of the Human Factors Division of the U.S. Department of Transportation's John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (VNTSC). The division specializes in the evaluation of relationships between human performance and transportation safety and productivity.
He earned his doctorate at Iowa State University in Experimental Psychology in 1967 and joined the Avionics Division of Cornell Aeronautical Laboratories (now Veridian Engineering) in Buffalo, New York. As a research psychologist at Cornell his studies focused on the effects of fatigue, drugs, and alcohol on civilian operators, off-road military driver performance, and avionics.
He joined VNTSC in 1971. Here his research has included studies of the effects of intoxication, fatigue, vibration, noise and automation on human performance. His current research deals with fatigue, alertness, sleep disruption, and crew performance in aviation, rail, highway and marine transportation operations. In 1999 Dr. Sussman was awarded the Secretary of Transportation's Silver Medal for his achievements in transportation human factors.
Dr. Sussman chaired the Transportation Research Board's Committee on Ride Quality and Passenger Acceptance and is currently a member of TRB's committee on Vehicle User Requirements (A3B02). In 2000 he became the chair of a new subcommittee to A3B02(1), the Subcommittee on Railroad Operational Safety.
Dr. Sussman serves as a U.S. delegate and member of the Technical Advisory Group to the International Organization for Standardization's subcommittee on the Effects of Human Exposure to Mechanical Shock and Vibration (TC/108/SC4). He is currently the Convener of the working group responsible for the development of the new ISO standard: Guidelines for the evaluation of the effects of vibration and rotational motion on passenger and crew comfort of fixed guideway transport systems.
He has published and presented numerous papers and chaired symposia on the measurement of effects of fatigue, mechanical vibration, and intoxication on human performance. He holds several patents for human performance evaluation devices.
Dr. Sussman is a citizen of the United States of America.
