Human Factors Engineer Got the Job Through an Internship

Name: Blake Wagner (he/him)

PhD: Human Factors Psychology, North Carolina State University, 2023

What was your main area of research?

My academic work focused on human cognition and attention, specifically attention (and failures of attention) during driving. Additionally, I researched how cognitive processes (e.g., cognitive load, distraction, mind wandering) influenced decision-making when people interact with automated vehicles.

What is your current job?

I am a Senior Human Factors Engineer for the MITRE Corporation in Bedford, Massachusetts.

I tend to work in a variety of projects and teams that vary, but most commonly I consult as a subject matter expert in Human Factors, Human-Machine Teaming, and other related domains. Additionally, I design and conduct research studies when needed and analyze data to design or redesign products and/or systems to be safer, more user friendly, and reliably up to relevant industry or government standards.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

I love getting to work on a variety of topics and in a field that is constantly changing. It is hard to get bored in this line of work. Also, it’s great to help make products and systems safer to use for the people that will actually use them, which can be incredibly fulfilling. It is also very satisfying to see the finalized products.

What is the most important skill you developed or experience you had during your PhD that now helps you in your current position?

Most important skill: critical thinking and how to conduct human-subjects research and analyze data at an expert level.

Most important experience: internship during my PhD program that led to my full-time job after graduating.

How did you build the skills necessary for your current role?

• For me, it was most helpful to find mentors in the industry that helped guide me from academic learning to real-world applications.

• Working on a variety of projects helped me to expand my "tool kit" and gather more skills along the way than I ever would have only by reading about them.

• My LinkedIn network was and is critically helpful in learning about job opportunities, new methods and analyses, trends in the field, etc. which helps me start up-to-date as well as grow.

• Real-world experience has always helped me apply what I learned in my PhD program, along with continued learning by reading new research publications, attending conferences and virtual seminars, as well as collaborating with other colleagues to learn new skills and ways of thinking.

How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?

I interned at my current company after they did a job talk at my PhD program, looking to recruit new interns. Five years later, I returned to the company as a full-time employee after keeping connections with my old manager and moving close to one of the company's primary locations.

PhD graduate ➡️ intern (during PhD) ➡️ UX Researcher (Meta) ➡️ Human Factors Researcher (Google) ➡️ Senior Human Factors Engineer (MITRE, current job)

If someone is interested in a similar role, what would you recommend they start doing now to prepare?

I would recommend reaching out to people that work in the field and reading as much as you can about what is currently happening in the field, because it can change so much it can be hard to know what is happening unless you are in it.

Additionally, there are so many different job titles and "jargon" in the fields of User Experience (UX) and Human Factors (HF) that it is really helpful to talk to someone in the field who can help provide clarity and guidance about what different jobs/roles actually do in a given job.

Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?

My program was an applied PhD program so the majority of graduates don't go the academic route. Personally, I looked into it prior to graduating my PhD program, but the academic lifestyle did not match what I was looking for and did not align with my personal goals and work-life balance. However, I love teaching so I have been an adjunct (teaching) professor since graduating and really enjoy the teaching and working with students aspect of academia.

What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?

Start early. My internship during my PhD program gave me so much experience and opened me up to types of work that I had no idea existed before the internship.

Additionally, internship or co-op experiences are a great way to start building your resume so that you have a good start and connections once you finish the PhD as opposed to trying to start from scratch after finishing. It may be a cliche, but networking truly is worth it.