U.S. Air Force Taps Psychology Professor For Scientific Advisory Board

UCF is now represented on the scientific advisory board that supplies independent guidance to U.S. Air Force research.

Peter Hancock, Ph.D., was appointed recently to the roughly 50-member board, which studies topics considered of critical importance by the secretary and chief of staff of the Air Force. While many members are engineers or provide similar technical backgrounds, Hancock brings expertise in behavioral science.

“You can create some of the world’s greatest machines, but at the end of the day they’re still being operated by people. How you train those people, the efficiency of the training — all of that is what I plan on bringing to the table,” said Hancock, a Pegasus Professor and Provost Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Psychology.

Members of the board complete their studies by visiting Air Force units and relevant Department of Defense units across the U.S. and globally, assessing current technology and forecasting future needs and gaps. Multiple reviews of the science and technology programs in the Air Force Research Laboratory are also completed annually.

Hancock is a native of the United Kingdom, but became a U.S. citizen after moving stateside. He said serving on the board is an opportunity to lend some expertise to a country that has provided him so many opportunities.

“The U.S. has been very good to me,” Hancock said. “It’s the responsible thing to give something back.”