Michael Manser, Ph.D.

TTI Senior Research Scientist
Division Head

Education

• Ph.D., Kinesiology/Human Motor Learning and Control, University of Minnesota, 1997
• M.S., Kinesiology/Human Motor Learning and Control, Ball State University, 1992
• B.S., University of Wisconsin, 1990

Short Biography

Dr. Michael Manser is a human factors psychologist and a senior research scientist within the Center for Transportation Safety at TTI. He also serves as the Human Factors Team Program Manager, which conducts research, education, and outreach on a variety of vulnerable road users. Dr. Manser holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.

Michael’s areas of expertise include human factors, driving simulation, driver behavior, visual attention, and automated and connected vehicles. He has served as principal investigator or task leader on over fifty projects on driver distraction, infrastructure and vehicle-based safety devices, mental models, and driver workload. Michael began his career in 1997 at American Express Financial Advisors working on making software interfaces more usable to staff. From 1998 to 2002, he worked in TTI’s Human Factors Program conducting some of the initial research into the distracting effects of in-vehicle devices on driver behavior and performance. He returned to TTI in 2013 after 11 years at the University of Minnesota as the director of the HumanFIRST Program. His work examined how infrastructure-based information systems can support better decision by drivers at high risk intersections. His research work at TTI now focuses on the development of mental models and trust relative to the use of varying levels of vehicle automation and his outreach and education work focuses on improving safety for pedestrians and motorcyclists.

Michael has been a thought leader in professional societies and standards committees, including several National Academies of Sciences’ Transportation Research Board committees. He is the founder and past chair of the TRB human factors in vehicle automation committee and is currently on the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation Motorcycle Advisory Board. He is a reviewer for Human Factors, Accident Analysis and Prevention, and Transportation Research Part F. He has also served as a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health SBIR program. Michael has published book chapters and professional journal articles within the domain of human factors and transportation.