WILLIAM STUART MICHELSON

W. Stuart Michelson, Research Faculty at the Georgia Tech Research Institute

                           

Born		Nationality		Ethnicity		Expertise Fields
Atlanta, Georgia		United States of America		Norwegian & Swedish		Human Systems Engineering	Human Computer Interaction	Human Factors and Ergonomics

Institutions			Known For				Awards
Georgia Tech Research Institute	Georgia Institute of Technology	Trail Life USA	Manned-unmanned teaming	Human modeling	Wearable soldier systems	Robotics Competitions	Forty Under Forty

INTRODUCTION

Stuart Michelson's father 
next to portrait of relative  
Christian Michelsen, at the  
Chr. Michelsen Institute  
in Bergen Norway.

"William Stuart Michelson" is an American engineer and member of the research faculty at the Georgia Tech Research Institute.[1]  Michelson is a subject matter expert in Human Systems Engineering,[2]  and a leader in the National Defense Industrial Association .[3]  Since 2000, Michelson has organized the American venue and annual Symposium on Dynamic Flight Behavior for Aerial Robotics for the International Aerial Robotics Competition.[4] 

Michelson is a Lifetime Charter member of Trail Life USA,[5]  and currently serves as the Chairman of the National Board of Director’s for the organization.[6]  From 2013 to 2014, Michelson served at an advisory capacity to the board of Reformation Hope in matters dealing with youth programs.[7]  Michelson is the second son of Robert C. Michelson, and is related to Christian Michelsen, the first Prime Minister of Norway.[8] 

EDUCATION

Michelson enrolled in the Georgia Institute of Technology where he attained scientific degrees in Science, Technology, and Culture, as well as Human–computer interaction .[9] 

As a member of the Georgia Tech faculty, Michelson has taught several courses including Human Systems Integration Analysis and Synthesis in Georgia Tech's Professional Masters program. Michelson is also a contributing instructor for the Georgia Tech Professional Education Short Courses Introduction to Human Systems Integration, Fundamentals of Modern Systems Engineering,[10] and Mission Planning and Battle Management.[11] 

CAREER

Stuart Michelson 
teaching at the 
Georgia Institute 
of Technology.

Michelson is a research affiliate at the Georgia Institute of Technology Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines (IRIM), as well as a member of the interdisciplinary faculty within the university's Masters in Human-Computer Interaction program.[12]  He has held an Associate Human Factors Professional status from the Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics, is recognized as a graphic design professional by the International Academy of Computer Training, is certified to conduct ethical human subjects research by Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative, and presently serves the Georgia Tech Research Institute as senior research scientist.[13] 

In 2018 he became the Associate Head of the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s Human Systems Engineering Branch in the GTRI Electronic Systems Laboratory ,[14]  and in 2022 became its Branch Head in the GTRI Applied Systems Laboratory.[15]  In 2023, he became the Associate Division Chief of GTRI’s Human Centered Engineering Division.[16] 

Michelson is a Member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Life member of the National Defense Industrial Association, and as a member of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, he has been featured in marketing materials for the association.[17]  In 2023, he was elected to the position of Deputy Chair of the Human Systems Division of the National Defense Industrial Association.[18]  He is also organizer of the American Venue of the annual International Aerial Robotics Competition and annual Symposium on Dynamic Flight Behavior for Aerial Robotics[19] 

Michelson was named as an honoree to the Georgia Tech Alumni Association 40 Under 40 program's class of 2023.[20]  This program's purpose is to showcase substantial impact made by Georgia Tech alumni. Honorees are selected by representatives from all of Georgia Tech's colleges for "diligence and expertise from an early age."[21] 

For his "contributions to the field of Autonomous Control of Aerial Robotics", Michelson received the Deputy Director’s Certificate for Service from the U.S. Army Soldier Battle Lab at Fort Benning.[22] 

RESEARCH AREAS

Stuart Michelson 
integrating 
instrumentation 
into body armor.

Michelson has led numerous programs within the Georgia Tech Research Institute in the areas of Human Systems Integration, Human Factors, soldier equipment, and autonomous unmanned systems.[23][24]  Notably, he has designed graphical user interfaces, developed human-centered system requirements,[25]  led programs to quantify human performance, assessed anthropometric accommodations, and supported system test and evaluation for DoD stakeholders spanning the DoD. A frequent speaker across the Georgia Institute of Technology,[26]  international conferences,[27][28]  and government entities such as DARPA,[29]  Michelson is known for developing novel concepts for the command and control of unmanned systems,[30][31][32]  utilizing Model Based Systems Engineering to express man-machine teaming relationships,[33][34][35]  graphical user interface design for DoD systems,[36]  military mission planning concepts,[37]  and basic research on the touch zone sizes for military touchscreens in moving environments.[38]  Michelson has supported and organized a number of military working groups spanning topics such as electronic warfare, unmanned systems, and military end user engagement.[39]  Within the Human Factors Engineering context, Michelson is an advocate for “Mission-Driven Robotics”.[40] 

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

1. “Concepts for Manned Unmanned Teaming Behaviors in Model Based Systems Engineering,”National Defense Industrial Association Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium, 2019[41] 
2. “Human Centered Teaming of Autonomous Battlefield Robotics,”National Defense Industrial Association Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium, 2018[42] 
3. “A Survey of the Human-Centered Approach to Micro Air Vehicles”. Chapter 90. Springer Handbook of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Springer‑Verlag Publishing Company, 2014[43] 
4. “Human Centered Alerting Strategies Supporting Cross Platform Teams of Unmanned Vehicles”. AUVSI Xponential Unmanned Systems Conference, 2019[44] 
5. ”A Model of Human Machine Interaction for Mission-Driven Robotics”. AUVSI Xponential Unmanned Systems Conference, 2020[45] 

EXTERNAL LINKS

• Georgia Tech Research Institute
• Trail Life USA