Moin Rahman's professional profile & HVHF Sciences' Consulting Services

1. Moin Rahman
Principal Scientist at HVHF Sciences
hvhf33322@gmail.com
Summary
CAREER VISION
I am passionate about taking on research problem(s), which will draw heavily both on 'theory' and
'practice' in the realms of NDM (naturalistic decision making), Macrocognition, HVHF (high velocity
human factors), social cognition, human-systems design and HMIs. One of my biggest strengths is
the ability to draw upon the knowledge from a broad spectrum of sciences to develop the necessary
intellectual tools to take on and solve intractable problems. In other words, practice "consilience" as
one sees fit to advance human knowledge on the theoretical frontiers and apply it to solve practical
problems that humans confront in the design of social-technical systems, such as police, fire, military,
emergency medicine, etc.
EXPERIENCE
Throughout my career I have been an intellectual adventurer and intrepid researcher. I have neither
remained content nor wanted to be confined within my formally trained specialty. I have used science
(various strands of psychological, social, physical and biological) as a vehicle to educate, inform,
discover and take me to new destinations. My research pertaining to the psychosocial factors of
mission critical domains (police, fire, combat, etc.) has resulted in me discovering a new paradigm
that I have named High Velocity Human Factors (HVHF). In a nutshell, HVHF seeks answers to
questions concerning human performance in volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous situations,
involving high stakes and high stress, and develops strategies to inform the design of systems.
My advanced research and design expertise is built on strong and classical foundations of
engineering and human factors psychology work spanning over a period of 20 years in industry.
During this period, I have researched and designed solutions pertaining to human-machine and
-system interaction, organizational & operational protocol design, to enhance safety, effectiveness
and efficiency of the mission.
CITIZENSHIP: United States of America
Specialties
Cognitive science, ecological psychology, social psychology, high velocity human factors, affective
and neurosciences, evolutionary biology.
Experience
Principal Scientist at HVHF Sciences
Page1

2. June 2011 - Present (1 month)
HVHF Sciences is focused on understanding how humans perform – orient, observe, decide, act
(situation awareness, cognition, naturalistic decision making, speech/motor acts) -- in mission
critical organizations (e.g., law enforcement, fire fighting, emergency medicine), high reliability
organizations (e.g., oil & natural gas exploration and drilling, power plants, traffic control centers,
intensive & critical health care), defense/offense organizations (armed services, command and
control centers, symmetrical/asymmetrical [counter insurgency] warfare), critical consumer and
commercial products/systems (automotive/aviation cockpits, telecommunication products,
heavy/light machinery, energy/environmental controls, etc.)
The core goals of HVHF Sciences is to research, design and deliver the following value to its
clients:
1) Provide a scientific understanding of their general and critical operations by analyzing it
through the application of cognitive, social, biological and ecological sciences
2) Utilize the knowledge gleaned from #1 to design a robust and effective sociotechnical system
to avoid catastrophic errors, enhance operator and system reliability and increase throughput.
3) Deliver implementable solutions in the form of human-system design specifications, operational
protocols and training, which are consonant with the organization’s core mission and concurrently
are compatible with its personnel’s (human) cognitive & physical capabilities and limitations.
Simply put, minimize the likelihood of the occurrence of catastrophic and costly errors and
maximize the likelihood of successful outcomes.
Principal Scientist at Motorola
August 1999 - June 2011 (11 years 11 months)
Research critical and peak moment performance of personnel operating in mission critical domains
such as law enforcement, fire fighting, combat, etc. Current research includes high velocity human
factors (HVHF), application of social sciences to design of product aesthetics (a.k.a., sensory
aesthetics), direct perception action coupling (DPAC) in the context of HMIs, social interactions
between uniformed agents and civilians at zero-acquaintance, among others.
> Research Human Factors of Mission Critical Domains (fire fighting, law enforcement, combat,
etc.)
> Developed -- and further enhancing -- the study of human performance during peak and critical
moments of a mission ("High Velocity Human Factors)
> Developed a model for naturalistic decision making under life threatening conditions for mission
critical personnel.
> Applying Gibsonian psychology (Direct Perception) and Embodied cognition to design
Human-Machine Interfaces to accommodate the needs of [cognitively impaired] human agents
Page2

3. under stress.
> Applying social sciences to develop a framework to inform the development of a design language
and aesthetics for mission critical products.
> Researched and developed a model for [somatic] situation awareness of agents performing under
high stakes and time stressed situations with imminent threat
> Researched social interactions among conspecifics at zero-acquaintance (police or soldiers with
civilians) in risky and volatile ecologies to understand social cognition and decision making with the
intent of eliminating unwarranted (and sometimes fatal) use of force.
5 recommendations available upon request
Member at Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
1993 - 2010 (17 years)
Corporate Human Factors at Aeroquip-Vickers, Inc.
June 1996 - June 1999 (3 years 1 month)
Designed, marketed, and developed a corporate-wide human factors and ergonomics program for
Aeroquip-Vickers. Provided ergonomic design input in the design of man-machine systems,
industrial, and medical products. Performed usability testing and heuristic evaluation for hand-held
products and software interfaces in the areas of desktop applications and computer-based
manufacturing systems.
Engineer at Titan Watches
1987 - 1991 (4 years)
Member of a team that successfully transferred watch making technology from France Ebauche,
France to [Tata’s] Titan Watches in India. Under went training at France Ebauche (France) and
Vibreurs Application (Switzerland) on precision manufacturing methods, inspection procedures for
micro-sized components, and ergonomic assembly methods. Set up manufacturing lines, assembly
shops and trained technicians. Applied advanced manufacturing techniques to improve efficiency.
Publications
Affective factors: A model of cognition under emotional states
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 50th Annual Meeting 2006
Authors: Moin Rahman
High Velocity Human Factors: Human factors in mission critical domains in Nonequilibrium
Proceedings of the Human factors and Ergonomics 51st Annual Meeting 2007
Authors: Moin Rahman
A Discourse on Law Enforcement Psychobehaviors: Informing Design from Displays in
Ethology to High Velocity Human Factors
Publication 2007
Page3

4. Authors: Moin Rahman
Officer Performance in High-Stress Situations: Considerations for Technology Design
Police Chief 2009
Authors: Moin Rahman
Understanding naturalistic decision making under life threatening conditions
Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Naturalistic Decision Making 2009
Authors: Moin Rahman
Designing Human-Machine Interfaces for Naturalistic Perceptions, Decisions and Actions
occurring in Emergency Situations
Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics (in press) January 1, 2011
Authors: Moin Rahman
Humans experience emotional arousal, when threat to life and limb is imminent, such as in high
stakes, emergency situations that occur in sociotechnical systems like fire fighting, aviation,
combat, etc. Emotional arousal has both advantages and disadvantages. On the downside, it
introduces perceptual distortions and biases and inability to process symbolic information and alters
motor abilities. As emergency human-machine interfaces (HMIs) will be used to bring a system
under control, i.e. to avoid or minimise losses, they should be designed to accommodate the human
capacities that have been altered by danger-induced emotional arousal. A model called direct
perception-action coupling (DPAC) that combines direct perception and embodied cognition, which
is not predicated on higher cognitive functions, has been developed to describe the available
capacities of an operator under stress. Finally, the conceptual application of human performance
theories under stress, through the DPAC model, to design emergency HMIs is discussed with
examples.
High Velocity Human Factors: Factoring the human being into future police technology
Police One February 25, 2008
Authors: Moin Rahman, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Dave Grossman, Michael J. Asken
Subject Matter Expert Paper on Human Factors and Psychological Analysis of FFDO
procedures versus sound law enforcement practices
The Federal Flight Deck Officers Association January 2008
Authors: Moin Rahman, Richard Bloom
Somatic Situation Awareness: a Model for SA Acquisition under Imminent Threat and Severe
Time Stress
IEEE CogSIMA 2011: IEEE Conference on Cognitive Methods in Situation Awareness and Decision
Support January 12, 2011
Authors: Moin Rahman
Classical models of Situation Awareness (SA) models are robust for dynamic situations where
events unfold gradually in the temporal dimension at a rate that is compatible with the ability of the
Page4

5. human agent to process information, and where this information processing is largely unaffected by
event-induced [aversive] emotional arousal. A model for SA acquisition for situations that express
rapid dynamics for a limited duration, which are non-prototypical in nature, and involve high stakes,
including danger-induced emotional arousal, does not exist. These types of situations are typically
encountered in mission critical domains such as law enforcement, firefighting, aviation, combat, etc.
In these situations, the traditional models of SA predicated on conscious perception of situation
elements and processing of information may not be appropriate, because the [slow] speed and
[high] bandwidth of consciousness are suboptimal for the occasion, thus preventing the agent from
realizing successful outcomes. Furthermore, unconsciousness, which has largely been ignored by
SA theorists, plays a critical role in acquiring SA under these circumstances. This paper presents a
model for SA, referred to as Somatic Situation Awareness (SSA), for situations such as those
described above. The SSA model shows that the incorporation of two key findings from psychology
and neurosciences, unconscious or attention-driven orientation, and somatosensory processes,
respectively, can adequately explain situation assessment for these special instances. In terms of
the SA acquisition taxonomy, the aforesaid processes have been classified as belonging to the
pre-cognitive phase. Next, the paper shows how this pre-cognitive phase of SA acquisition may
influence the classical SA framework. Finally, the paper discusses the implications of SSA with
regards to human-system design, computer cognition, technology and training.
Social Cognition and Decision Making between Uniformed Personnel and Civilians
10th International Conference on Naturalistic Decision Making June 1, 2011
Authors: Moin Rahman
One of the key skills that is required of police and military personnel concerns social cognition and
decision making, particularly when interacting with civilians in either neutral or adversarial situations
such as post-conflict and peacekeeping operations, counterinsurgency warfare, law enforcement,
etc. Sub-optimal skills or a poor system design in these settings can prove to be costly and/or
deadly, due to false positives (killing of innocent civilians) or false negatives (mistaking an
adversary for a friendly). This paper has developed and presents a model for dyadic social
interactions, particularly for the types of encounters that uniformed personnel are likely to have with
civilians in the field in a variety of contexts. This model was developed by taking into consideration
a number of egocentric and allocentric factors, including social and situational structures. The
objectives of this model are threefold: (1) lay down the foundations for uniformed personnel-civilian
social interactions; (2) Elucidate the factors and mechanisms undergirding such social interactions
to system designers and trainers to inform the design of sociotechnical systems and training
programs; (3) Provide directions for future research.
Education
State University of New York College at Buffalo
MS, Human Factors Sciences, 1993 - 1995
Page5

6. PSG College of Technology
B.E., Mechanical Engineering, 1983 - 1987
Honors and Awards
A profile of my research:
http://ezine.motorola.com/ezine/government?a=249
Interests
Geopolitics, History, Physical & Life Sciences, World Music, Competitive Tennis.
Page6

7. Moin Rahman
Principal Scientist at HVHF Sciences
hvhf33322@gmail.com
5 people have recommended Moin
"Moin epitomizes what it means to be a scientist -- super intelligent, crazy passion for truth, and a
manic drive for discovery. He's one of those guys that says the things you really wish you'd thought
of first. Moin's contributions to our understanding of how people perform under high emotional
stress can transform how we develop products and interfaces. I expect more great things from Moin
and look forward to learning from him for years to come. Also, one should not miss a live singing (?)
performance from Moin -- his Bollywood is fabulous, however, his rap needs some work."
— Mark Palmer, Design Research Director, Motorola, managed Moin at Motorola
"Having worked alongside Moin for several years, he clearly demonstrated thought leadership in the
areas of human cognition, usability and ergonomics. More importantly, Moin is adept at applying
theories and concepts at strategic and project levels. Working in cross-functional teams, he has
played a key role in the development of several of Motorola's most successful products. I find him to
be a truly genuine person who always displays integrity."
— Tim Sweeney, Design Manager, MOTOROLA, worked directly with Moin at Motorola
"I have worked with Moin on many occasions, and it is always enjoyable and educational. He is
very good at his work, and his curiosity and excitement is contagious. Every encounter has worked
out very well and has been a lot of fun. I recommend Moin highly."
— Russ Branaghan, Assistant Professor - Applied Psychology, Arizona State University, worked
with Moin at Motorola
"I worked with Moin while at Motorola in the same human factors group, and he always tackled
problems with energy and a scientific curiosity that helped to get at the root of any issue. He is a
terrific colleague to have, and a true asset to any group, organization, or company. In this light, I
highly recommend Moin Rahman."
— Brian Philips, PhD, Principal Human Factors Scientist, Noblis, worked directly with Moin at
Motorola
"I worked with Moin for 4 years. He brings a very high degree of professionalism and a genuine
dedication and thoroughness to all he does. He is a critical thinker, reasoner, and a problem solver
Page 7

8. par excellence who delights in sharing and exchanging knowledge and ideas. Moin thrives on the
big problems in the field - the seemingly intractable ones that require deep research and fresh and
bold thinking. As an example of this, he has pioneered and led an exciting and important new area
of Human Factors, and has put his team and his company in the vanguard of development and
innovation in this area. Moin is a great listener - a rare attribute in today's business world - and this
enables him to consider and understand the views and arguments of others and to present his
insights in a balanced and persuasive way."
— Philip Hodgson, Manager of Human Factors, Motorola, Florida, managed Moin at Motorola
Contact Moin on LinkedIn
Page 8