Researcher  |  Pilot   |  Writer 

Hi, I'm Kimberly.

 I am a Captain on a Gulfstream 650 based in Seattle, WA. I have piloted jet aircraft on six continents, lived on three, and have flown for airlines and in business aviation. I am also a researcher and writer on cognitive bias, psychological safety, essential leadership skills, and safety culture within the aviation industry.

As a PhD student at the University of Washington, I am conducting doctoral research on the impact of cognitive biases on aviation safety systems, such as Crew Resource Management, Threat & Error Management, and Safety Management System. My hope is to identify the gap in Human Factors training and provide a structured foundation on how to enhance the efficacy of the industry's existing safety systems.

My research draws on the following topics: 
  • the neuroscience of cognitive bias
  • psychological safety as a requirement for safety voice
  • how power dynamics moderates team synergy

​Let's chat about: social psychology, affective neuroscience, micro-sociology, prosocial behavior, and ways to design for inclusivity.

Contemporary cognitive science research is the next iteration for enhancing aviation safety.
What makes a great pilot?

​A great pilot leads by example and has the ability to recognize diversity as a strength within our community. They build trust and create an inclusive environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging while being their authentic selves.
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"Perkins is a trailblazer within business aviation, where she’s a regular presence affirming the value of a more inclusive workforce. “Our current safety processes are important, but they break down without inclusion,” she says. “We’re entering a new wave of aviation safety that focuses on inclusivity because investing in human capital is our industry’s most precious resource.”
-National Business Aviation Association
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“We have a clear business case for diversity and inclusion,” said Perkins. “Diversity can lead to higher earning potential and an increase in safety through better decision making.” 
ATI Boeing Accelerator Panel: Creating a Sustainable  Aerospace Industry 
Sustainability is about ensuring longevity and that means investing in our human capitol.  
Sustainability means meeting the demands now without compromising the needs of the future. We often think about new fuel-efficient technology or offsetting our carbon emissions, but to me, sustainability isn’t just about the aircraft, airports, and technology, it’s about the health of the industry. That means the people in it. Sustainability is having the pipeline of educated and interested personnel to constantly be pushing the needle of creativity and innovation.  
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Modernity has transformed not only the airplanes themselves, but the very meaning of what defines a “good” pilot and the skills necessary for the job. The ability to empathize and evaluate qualitatively are the “soft skills” necessary to work in a fast-paced, multi-crew environment.  Having a growth mindset and education on emotional intelligence and unconscious bias are fundamental to genuine human factors training.  

Industry leaders must create a safety culture rooted in psychological safety by creating a culture of inclusion and by viewing employees' authentic differences as strengths to the organization.  

It's time for Human Factors 2.0 to boost workforce development and enhance safety throughout the industry.
  "With a high level of psychological safety, the team has a sense of belonging and inclusion. This builds trust, which is fundamental to your organization’s Safety Management System.   SMS is aviation’s first safety process that requires the Safety Officer to measure and monitor safety culture.  In order to accurately measure risk, employees need to report those mishaps and human error. Employees aren’t going to do that without a high level of psychological safety. 
   The SMS Evaluation Tool by Safety Management International Collaboration Group makes a point of this as an indicator of compliance. They specifically audit for “senior management team promote a positive safety/just culture.”
​   Safety Officers know the importance of measuring and monitoring culture, but there isn’t a clear roadmap of how to increase trust or psychological safety.  Most people understand that trust is fundamental to creating the self-reporting culture which is important to enhance safety and learn from mistakes.  But, we don’t have industry tools on how to create trust.  Without trust, we don’t have psychological safety. And, we don’t have a functioning SMS.  So, I believe there’s a gap here.  Human factors training ought to include cognitive bias training which without include psychological safety, inclusive leadership, and emotional intelligence training. "

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