Patricia DeLucia

Patricia DeLucia is a Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Rice University, specializing in human factors research with applications across transportation, healthcare, and military domains. Her work bridges cognitive psychology with practical applications to improve safety and performance in complex systems.

Dr. DeLucia earned her Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1989 followed by a National Research Council postdoctoral associateship at Wright Patterson Air Force Base from 1989-1991. Her expertise spans perception of collision across multiple sensory modalities, multisensory integration in normal and impaired vision, and virtual reality applications.

Her research interests focus on human factors in transportation (manual and automated driving, pedestrian street-crossing), health care applications (nursing, medication administration, patient safety, minimally-invasive surgery, telehealth), and military applications (UAVs, night vision goggles). She has made significant contributions to understanding time-to-collision judgments, driver behavior, and perceptual processes in real-world contexts.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals consistent focus on automated driving systems, human-machine interaction in healthcare settings, and perceptual processes related to collision avoidance. Her work increasingly addresses the challenges of human-automation interaction across multiple domains.

Dr. DeLucia has received numerous professional honors including:

• Texas Tech University Faculty Distinguished Leadership Award (2016)
• Human Factors and Ergonomic Society's Paul M. Fitts Education Award (2015)
• American Psychological Association Division 21's Franklin V. Taylor Award (2014)
• Texas Tech University Barnie E. Rushing, Jr. Faculty Distinguished Research Award (2012)

She previously served as Editor-in-Chief of Human Factors (2014-2021) and held leadership positions including President of APA Division 21 (2011) and Chairperson of the Accreditation Committee for the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (2010-2013). Her professional service includes standing review panels for NASA and the Agency for Health Research Quality, demonstrating her impact across multiple scientific domains.