Kim Drnec

• Team lead for multiple 100 million dollar programs simultaneously delivering exceptional products on time and within budget. Responsible for designing and leading scientific research used to develop new theoretical approaches to Human Machine Interface (HMI) design and approaches to human machine teaming consistent with human cognition.
• Led team of engineers and scientists to complete complex program to deliver innovate Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2), multi-domain battle management HMI facilitating seamless human machine teaming for advanced war-gaming. Envisioned use of complex emerging technologies from multiple Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) directorates and led their integration. Conducted exploratory research into cognitive scientific theories on visualization, and integrated and applied them in order to map cyber domain to geo-centric domain for first time.
• Led Cognitive Task Analysis [5] (CTA) team in designing and conducting CTAs for counter small-unmanned aerial systems (c-sUAS) operators to support HMI and human machine teaming design for operational c-sUAS system for Air Force. Researched CTA theory and developed original CTA analysis technique to identify domain-specific cognitive challenges operators face in decision making and teaming with intelligent agents.
• Created and led research effort to transform Abstraction Hierarchy [6] heuristic, traditionally used for HMI design, into dynamic network model of HMIs and human machine teaming prior to implementation, ultimately saving time and money in system development.
• Led research and proposal writing efforts for programs applying cognitive neuroscience to domain-specific needs of Intelligent Analyst community. Created taxonomy of cognitive biases specific to Intelligence Community that will allow development of interventions to prevent analyst errors through unconscious use of cognitive biases.
• HMI team lead for program aiming to fully automate Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD) missions for Mosaic Warfare efforts. Led research team in identifying critical mission events military leaders require in mission brief that would allow trust development in intelligent agents conducting SEAD missions. Included conducting CTAs with 5th generation fighter pilots, intelligence analysts and Air Force leaders. Program required unique HMI demands in order to provide post-hoc mission intelligence, provide ability for leaders to query autonomy on decisions made, and to compare possible courses of action generated by autonomy, but not ultimately executed.
• Currently researching and developing innovative network model and analytic techniques to create multi-dimensional distributed situational awareness model of tactical air battle unit that will permit intelligent agent integration and improved human machine teaming.

• Cognitive neuroscientist and research lead for multiple human subjects cross-service research programs simultaneously. Responsible for completing Internal Review Board proposals, procuring subjects, designing and executing large, complex psychophysiological (including electroencephalography (EEG), galvanic skin response, heart and respiration rate) studies aimed at discovering latent variables explaining human machine interaction and understanding unconscious visual processing.
• Through independent research into trust in automation developed novel theory about human machine interaction based on human decision-making resulting in published literature review [1]. This changed focus of large Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD) study from identifying psychophysiological indicators of trust in automation to predicting behavior in real time using classifier, and then controlling human machine interaction behavior. This resulted in further OSD funding for second innovative study, which introduced EEG features into classifier improving ability to predict and control behavior by 30%. ARL is aggressively pursuing this research area now [7].
• Assumed role as primary psychophysiological data analyst for multiple studies, writing scripts in Matlab and R to import, clean and statistically analyze data. Built hierarchical statistical models for data analysis, and applied wavelet cross-coherence to EEG data in novel ways. Used results for journal and conference publications [8], [9], [10], [11].
• Key team member in fundamental research into issues underlying control of heterogeneous human-autonomy systems in complex operational environments focusing on data fusion and computer vision. Completed EEG data collection and analysis with Matlab applying xDAWN spatial filtering [12] to identify linear combination of neural signals that maximizes signal to noise ratio before applying a Bayesian linear discriminant classifier to calculate final score of correct responses to target and non-target stimuli.
• Research advisor for Army Research Laboratory’s Robotics Collaborative Technology consulting in best research methods to achieve each study objective.· Mentored summer undergraduate students in performing individual research projects.

• Conceived of, and successfully designed and executed original cognitive neuroscience research by cross-discipline approach to unexplored issue of cognitive processing of bovine pain. The research idea was developed from a comprehensive survey of literatures from medicine, neuroscience, animal welfare, and biomedical engineering, in addition to interactions with international scientists, engineers, and industrial representatives. The research resulted in identification of the world's first reported bovine laser evoked potential (derived from continuous event-locked EEG), effectively, for the first time, demonstrating that cattle experience pain analogously to humans (manuscript submitted to Nature) [13].
• Proved cortical signals can be obtained from bovine scalp by EEG sensors by finding changes in spectral baseline EEG during conditions requiring varying levels of primary visual processing. (Paper pending)
• Establishing replicable methodology for acquiring bovine EEG, independent of assumptions from human methodology enabling results from different labs to be compared and analyzed for first time.
• Characterized species specific artifacts such as rumen contractions and bovine eye blink, demonstrating unique and expert skill at signal processing.
• Through creative problem solving independently, utilizing available national and international resources, collaborating with scientists, engineers and corporate representatives overcame complex technical challenges e.g. systems integration.
• Co-authored funded USDA grant (USDA NIFA Grant no. 2009-65120-05791) to support this research without revisions.

• Developed original thesis research program for surveillance of environmental contamination in neighborhoods. Involved use of clinical tissue and blood collected from local veterinary clinics during routine patient care to establish database of environmental contaminant levels, e.g., lead, pesticide etc., in neighborhoods to be used as early warning system for human health.

• Created equine breeding branch of Genus, England's largest cattle breeding company. Realized that research performed by Senior Research Veterinarian would allow commercial freezing and dissemination of exclusive stallion semen across Europe. Required developing research plan for synchronizing artificial insemination of mares through research and overseeing execution at Royal Veterinary College, London. Independently sourced stallions and negotiated breeding contracts in Sweden, Germany and Holland. Increased company profits in first year by 20%.

As the Human Factors Engineering (HFE) Lead for the E-2D HECTR program I drive strategic initiatives aimed at elevating system usability and ensuring compliance with critical defense standards. My leadership encompasses a spectrum of activities grounded in advanced system modeling, systems engineering, design thinking, and human-autonomy interaction, all vital for enhancing operational efficiency and safety in military aviation environment. This description highlights my leadership capabilities and technical expertise while emphasizing the strategic impact of my role in enhancing military systems' usability and safety.

• Business Management
  Increased overall team productivity by implementing efficient project management strategies and streamlining communication processes.
• Championed the adoption of cutting-edge technology solutions to optimize business operations across departments seamlessly.
  Collaborated with stakeholders at various organizational levels to develop targeted strategies aligned with overarching business objectives.

Strategic Requirements Management

• Create and plan Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) sheets, guiding the team to stay aligned with IMS tasking and ensuring that project milestones and deliverables are met efficiently.
• Spearhead the evaluation and development of requirements at both Northrop Grumman (NG) and supplier levels, ensuring alignment with Human Factors best practices and adherence to relevant MIL Standards, including MIL-STD-1472H. This strategic oversight guarantees an optimal and safe cockpit design for operational pilots.
• Drive compliance initiatives for new hardware and software developments, ensuring adherence to established Human Factors Design principles, MIL Standards, Handbooks, and SAE documentation, ultimately enhancing pilot safety and usability.
  

Document Creation and Oversight

• Collaborate with a team of tactically focused Human Factors Engineers to author and manage HFE documentation processes and products, ensuring compliance with Contract Data Requirements Lists and US Military Data Item Descriptions, including HEDADs, HETPs, and HETRs.
• Lead the development of a tailored MIL-STD-1472H document specific to E-2D applications, enhancing Northrop Grumman’s capability to provide clear and actionable requirements for suppliers and internal systems engineering teams.

Comprehensive Human Factors Analyses

• Conduct in-depth Human Factors evaluations, including task analyses, anthropometric assessments, and usability tests using actual hardware, software, 3D mockups, and CAD NX modeling within the Cockpit Simulation Laboratory, ultimately improving aircrew usability and safety.
• Leverage Navy maintenance and operator task flows to inform upgrade requirements for legacy systems, ensuring that new developments meet rigorous MIL Standards and Human Factors guidelines.

Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement

• Interface with Navy customers and supplier counterparts to streamline the hardware development process, fostering effective collaboration and enhancing product delivery efficiency.
• Cultivate strong relationships with NG pilots and Weapons Systems Officers, enhancing our understanding of operator requirements and cockpit functionalities, which translates to highly usable interfaces and hardware.

Modeling and Simulation Leadership

• Utilize Cameo to model task flows and workloads, enabling large-scale task simulations to assess operational efficiency.
• Employ MATLAB for statistical analyses of Human Factors evaluation data, supporting data-driven decision-making.
• Oversee the development of software mockups in tools such as Balsamic or VAPS XT, guided by operator task analyses to ensure fidelity in representation.

Management and Oversight of CDRLs and SDRLs

• Drive the tracking and management of diverse supplier and NG SDRLs, including thermal analyses and interface control drawings, ensuring timely and accurate contract fulfillment of the HECTR Statement of Work.
• Facilitate the planning and execution of Working Groups in alignment with CDRL requirements to promote collaborative problem-solving and innovation.

Achievements

• Collaborated with leadership and HFE colleagues to develop critical artifacts for the 2025 AS9100/ISO Audit, demonstrating commitment to quality and compliance.
• Instrumental in developing a proposal to streamline CDRL delivery and SDRL review processes, enhancing overall project efficiency.
  Led strategic HFE involvement in the planning of future Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) tasking, ensuring proactive alignment with project goals.
• Developed a Python script capable of performing automatic gap analyses between MIL-STD-1472H requirements and E-2D SSDS supplier requirements, significantly enhancing compliance tracking.
• Initiated the development of a Large Language Model (LLM) to streamline the digesting of SDRLs, reducing HFE workload by up to 50% and optimizing resource allocation.
• Awarded the Air Worthiness Certificate from the California Institute of Technology in April 2025, recognizing excellence in safety and operational readiness.
• Received a BRAVO award in October 2025 for outstanding performance in my role as HECTR HFE Lead, underscoring my commitment to excellence and leadership in Human Factors Engineering.

• Responsible for health and hygiene of main abattoir in southwest of England. Responsible for industrial improvements and prosecutions against farmers for contravening health, hygiene and welfare laws in UK.

• Conducted original field research for World Health Organization (WHO) in Yemen, and performed epidemiological analysis on data. Involved traveling throughout Yemen collecting blood from over 200 sheep, goats and cattle. Results showed that WHO program to vaccinate cattle against Rinderpest should include vaccination of sheep and goats.