Katya Arquilla is joining the Ann and H. J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences as an assistant professor in the Bioastronautics focus area.
Katya earned her BS degree in Astrophysics from Rice University in 2014 and her MS and PhD degrees in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from CU Boulder in 2018 and 2021. Before joining CU Boulder, she was first a postdoctoral associate then an assistant professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The focus of her research is how humans interact with and adapt to complex systems including spacecraft, aircraft, autonomous/robotic systems, Earth’s changing climate, and more.
Despite vast technological advancements, humans are still critical to the success of operations in real, unpredictable environments. Many aspects of human behavior and performance are challenging to quantify and model, limiting the development of systems that successfully support and augment human operational teams.
Katya’s research efforts take a human-centered approach to improving human-automation interactions and developing human-guided behavioral health interventions. Her work leverages psychophysiological monitoring through wearable sensor systems and naturalistic observational methods to characterize complex environments. Application areas are numerous but include rover planning, aircraft pilot training protocols, and long-duration spaceflight missions, where NASA’s Human Research Program has identified critical risks and research gaps in effective human-system integration.
Outside of work, Katya loves spending time in the mountains biking, hiking, and snowboarding; cooking new recipes; and playing musical instruments. She is excited to be back in Boulder as part of the aerospace department and Bioastronautics focus area.