Dr. Deborah Boehm-Davis New Dean of College

by Rashad Mulla

Dr. Deborah Boehm-Davis New Dean of College

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is pleased to announce that Deborah Boehm-Davis, University Professor in the Department of Psychology and currently the associate dean, will be the new dean of the college. Her term begins on July 1, 2013.

Having joined George Mason University in 1984, Boehm-Davis holds an AB in psychology from Douglass College, Rutgers - the State University. She holds both an MA and PhD in cognitive psychology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Boehm-Davis has held research positions at General Electric, NASA Ames Research Center, and Bell Laboratories. She served as a Senior Policy Advisor for Human Factors at the Food and Drug Administration.

She was elected as the president of both the Applied Experimental and Engineering Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. She is an associate editor for the journal Human Factors and a member of the editorial board for Theoretical Issues in Ergonomic Science and the Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making. In addition, she is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, and the International Ergonomics Association.

Throughout her illustrious scholarly career, Boehm-Davis has authored or co-authored one book and over 100 refereed articles, and has edited or co-edited two books. She has given over 150 presentations at meetings and symposia both nationally and internationally, in locations as near as New York and as far flung as Romania, China, and Australia. On multiple occasions, Boehm-Davis has testified before Congress.

Her current research focuses on how human performance is helped or hindered by the design of tools that help us accomplish everyday tasks. Her research deals with improving performance in aviation, in the medical domain, and in the face of interruptions. In the past, she has worked on issues concerning cognitive workload, highway transportation and software comprehension. She is affiliated closely with the Center of Excellence in Neuroergonomics, Technology, and Cognition.

"We are very lucky to have Debbie appointed dean," said Jack Censer, current dean. "With her experience, good judgment, and total commitment to the welfare and values of CHSS, she will bring new energy and insight to what we are doing." The college extends its warmest congratulations to Dr. Boehm-Davis, and looks forward to the beginning of her tenure!