Sleep and Performance Research Center
Simulated Hazardous Operational Tasks Laboratory
STEPHEN JAMES, PH.D.
AREAS OF INTEREST
Operational performance, shift work, police fatigue, critical decision making, occupational sleep research, fatigue risk management
RESEARCH FOCUS
My research focus includes the interaction between physical stressors (such as sleep related fatigue), law, policy, training and practice relating to operational performance for high consequence occupations (e.g. military, law enforcement, nursing). I strive to better understand the dynamics of performance in a wide variety of tasks; driving, social interactions, crisis intervention, and deadly force encounters. I utilize neurophysiological measurements and simulation technology to evaluate training and performance of military and law enforcement personnel. This research will lead to more effective, and more cost effective, training and greater public safety. Prior to becoming an academic I spent more than 23 years in the British infantry as a solider and officer; serving in Cyprus, the Former Yugoslavia, Northern Ireland, and Afghanistan.
STAFF AND TRAINEES
- Elizabeth Dotson, MA (Graduate Student, Criminal Justice)
APPROACHES USED
- High fidelity laboratory simulation of critical operational tasks
- Actigraphy
- Neurophysiological measurements
- Field evaluations
- Cognitive testing
GRANT SUPPORT
- Federal
- U.S. Department of Defense
- Domestic Preparedness Support Initiative
- Office of Naval Research
- U.S. Department of Justice
- National Institute of Justice
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
- U.S. Department of Defense
- State/Local Government
- California Commission on Peace Officer Standards & Training
- Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training
- Ottawa Police Service
- Seattle Police Department
- Spokane Police Department
- Industry
- Renaissance Sciences Corporation