Barry Beith, Ph.D.

Utilizing human factors, design, and evaluation processes, Barry has been a champion in the fight to solve complex system and product design issues for over 30 years. As founder and president of HumanCentric and a partner in HumanCentric Research, Barry applies his breadth of industry experience to positively impact the human side of technology.

Barry earned his Ph.D. in psychology/ergonomics from North Carolina State University, where he continues to serve as an Associate Adjunct Professor. He previously received an M.A. in human factors/applied experimental psychology from California State University at Northridge and a B.A. in psychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Before forming HumanCentric, Barry designed and tested complex software projects at IBM. After IBM, Barry provided human factors services to the nuclear power industry. Over the years, he has supported numerous research projects, specifically leading research efforts on workload assessment and team performance.

Barry is a Fellow and Past President of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES), where he served on the Executive Council from 1995-2004, and as chair of the Communications Sub-council, Standards Institute Sub-council, and Technical Advisory Group. He served as editor of the Human Factors Society Bulletin for 4 years (1987-1990), and he has chaired the Human Factors Society Technical Working Group on Mental Workload for 3 years.

Barry is a founding member and 1995 president of the Carolina HFES Chapter and is a member of the Ergonomics Society (UK) and American Psychological Association. He is an affiliate of IEEE, a member of the Association of Computing Machinery and SIGCHI, a charter member of the American Psychological Society, and a member of the Usability Professionals' Association (UPA). He has served on the Scientific Review Committee to the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Scientific Review Committee of the Federal Election Committee, and Advisory Board of the Roybal Institute's Center for Aging, Cognition, and Health Education and Training (CACHET) within the National Institutes of Health and currently Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement (CREATE).

Tirelessly giving of his time to promote the importance of human factors in product and complex system design, Barry is a frequent speaker at national conferences and a contributor to industry publications.