I provide training and coaching on Human Performance and Human Factors to all types of organisations, including those in the space sector, through my company, Oxford Human Performance. I train leadership skills, building high performing teams, better communication, creating confidence at work and many other ‘soft’ skills. I also work with individuals one-to-one, coaching them on challenging work issues or to build confidence for a promotion for example. Because of my experience working with astronauts, I also give keynote speeches at conferences and other events.

Now, I am busy working on a course on Human Factors for ESA’s new astronauts. This is an important subject in high-risk environments concerning how humans interact with technology, machinery, interfaces and other humans. Because of its implications for safety and productivity, it is particularly important for astronauts to understand, but anyone working in an organisation that wants to increase their safety, productivity, and wellness at work can benefit from considering Human Factors.

I studied Experimental Psychology at Bristol University and then began teaching Psychology straight after whilst studying for my Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). My background and interest is primarily in psychology and I love teaching. However, I was also interested in aviation – I joined the Air Cadets when I was 13 years old and gained my Pilots Licence when I was 17. When I saw Cranfield University’s Masters in Human Factors and Safety in Aeronautics, it seemed the perfect combination of Psychology and Aeronautics. As I finished my thesis at Cranfield, I saw a job at the European Astronaut Centre to train Astronauts and Ground Control Crew in Human Behaviour and Performance. It was the dream job… and a few months’ later I was moving to Cologne to start work there.

I enjoyed nearly 5 years there, before moving back to the UK to start a family and work for the UK Space Agency in their Education and Skills team, supporting astronaut Tim Peake on his Principia mission to the ISS. After 6 years there, I decided to make the jump in setting up my own company and return to my passion of teaching Human Factors and Human Behaviour skills for aerospace organisations, having built up over a decade of experience working in the space sector.

Very technical, safety critical organisations such as those in the space sector, are understandably very focussed on the technical aspects of their work, but ultimately, organisations are made up of people operating that technology. Whether it’s designing a payload, building a rover, operating a satellite, or working as an astronaut on the ISS, humans are involved in every step of the process. Designing technology that accounts for human interaction can make it easier to use and safer, critical as we look toward the future – returning to the moon in preparation for further Mars exploration. Industries where human error results in high cost like aviation, rail, gas and oil have all invested a great deal of time and effort into understanding human factors and improving them where they can. These lessons are highly transferrable to the space sector and to any business searching for ways to improve safety and productivity.