Biography
Bryan Reimer, Ph.D., is a Research Scientist in the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics and MIT AgeLab. Bryan’s research seeks to develop theoretical and applied insight into driver behavior. His work aims to find solutions to the next generation of human factors challenges associated with driver attention management, distraction, automation and the use of advanced driver assistance systems to maximize mobility and safety. His work leverages laboratory experimentation, driving simulation, field testing, and naturalistic driving studies to develop a comprehensive understanding of visual, physiological, behavioral, and overall performance characteristics associated with how drivers respond to the increasing complexity of the modern operating environment. His research is multidisciplinary, drawing together traditional psychological methods with big data analytics in computer vision, deep learning, and predictive modeling. He is an author on over 250 technical contributions informing technology development, business strategy, and public policy.
He founded and leads three academic partnerships with industry. The Advanced Human Factors Evaluator for Attentional Demand (AHEAD) consortium, aims to develop the next generation of driver attention measurement tools. The Advanced Vehicle Technology (AVT) consortium, seeks to understand how drivers use emerging, commercially available vehicle technologies including advanced driver assistance systems and automated driving systems. Finally, the Clear Information Presentation (Clear-IP) consortium explores the impact of typography and other design features on usability in glance-based environments such as during driving or while using smartphones.
Dr. Reimer collaborates with industries worldwide on the topics of driver safety, vehicle automation and other technological concerns related to human factors and Artificial Intelligences. In addition to his work with students and a multi-disciplinary team at MIT, he is a research advisory board member for Autoliv, an advisor to AI Sweden, a former advisor to Affectiva, and an active consultant to the automotive and entrepreneurial community. In 2023, Dr. Reimer was appointed by U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttegieg to the Department of Transportation’s Transforming Transportation Advisory Committee (TTAC), a 27-member team of experts and advocates from academia, local government, industry, and the labor sector, to provide advice on plans and approaches for transportation innovation. He is a Contributor to Forbes and regularly featured in the press as a mobility futurist and as an expert in automotive safety. A seasoned conference and event presenter, Reimer has provided keynote addresses on the topics of driver attention and vehicle automation. In his 2018 TEDx talk, “There’s more to the safety of driverless cars than AI”, he discusses the undertreated health crisis on our roads and the limits of focusing on automation alone as a solution. He suggests that the modernization and automation of our mobility ecosystem will require increased transparency and collaboration between the public and private sectors to enhance consumer trust and make vehicle automation the most critical life-saving technology of the century.
Dr. Reimer is the 2019 recipient of the Jack A. Kraft Innovator Award from the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES). He received an inaugural 2018 Autos2050 Impact Award for his innovative contributions to the automotive industry, along with members of Congress, a governor, state senator, two CEOs, and several other leaders deeply concerned with the future of transportation, His academic contributions have been acknowledged through several paper awards including a highly selective 2017 CHI best paper.
His research has been featured in: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, Nova, NBC News, Reuters, The Associated Press, Wired, Gizmodo, MIT Technology Review, Discovery Channel, BBC Horizon, Fast Company, The Boston Globe and Science News, among others. A Boston Globe Magazine First Person article “MIT AgeLab scientist Bryan Reimer on the perils of driver distraction” provided his views on automotive safety research. Science Careers featured Dr. Reimer in a Career Profile, “Focus on Aging: Engineering Safer Drivers”. A BBC Horizon documentary, “Surviving a Car Crash,” focused on his work as a key innovation in the future of automotive safety.
His work has been supported by AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, AARP, Agero, Allstate, Aptiv (Delphi), Arriver, Audi, Autoliv, BMW, Bosch, CCC Intelligent Solutions, CARIAD, Consumer Reports, Denso, Eli Lilly and Company, Ford, Global Automakers, Google, Honda, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Jaguar Land Rover, J.D. Power, Johnson & Johnson, Lear, Liberty Mutual, Monotype Imaging, Magna, Nissan, Panasonic Automotive, Progressive, Qualcomm, Santos Family Foundation, Seeing Machines, Shire Pharmaceuticals, Smart Eye (Affectiva), State Farm, Subaru, Takata, Thatcham Research, The LAB (GIE Stellantis & Groupe Renault), Toyota, TravelCenters of America, Travelers, Tris Pharma, United States Department of Transportation, Veoneer, Volvo Car Corporation, and Zenseact.
He is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering, an M.S. in Manufacturing Engineering and a Ph.D. in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering.
