Kelly S. Steelman

Kelly S. Steelman is the Department Chair and Associate Professor in Psychology and Human Factors at Michigan Technological University (MTU), and an Affiliated Associate Professor in Computer Science. Her work bridges human factors, cognitive psychology, and technology adoption. She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2011).

Her research focuses on attention models, human performance in aviation, display design, and digital literacy interventions. Notable projects include the Basic Saturdays initiative to break digital barriers for older adults, and transdisciplinary collaborations across MTU’s Institute of Computing and Cybersystems (ICC). She explores technology anxiety mitigation, sociotechnical systems design, and educational interventions in engineering curricula.

Her recent work emphasizes human-centered approaches to technology integration, including remote digital assistance systems and curriculum innovations in engineering education. She has contributed to standards development like the Human Readiness Level Scale (ANSI/HFES 400-2021).

Steelman has published extensively on visual attention models (SEEV Model), cockpit display design, and digital literacy training. Her work spans journals such as International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction and conferences like HCI International. She actively addresses challenges in human factors education and the future of online learning in the field.