Senior Research Associate

Dr. Brady DeCouto joined IHMC as a Research Associate and Postdoctoral Fellow in June 2022. He earned his Ph.D. in Kinesiology with an emphasis on cognitive motor neuroscience from the University of Utah, and his M.S. and B.S. in Kinesiology from Jacksonville University.

Dr. DeCouto’s research interests concern the development of expert performance, which entails perceptual-cognitive skills, motor skills, and psychosocial influences. As a PhD student, Dr. DeCouto worked with U.S. Ski and Snowboard, assuming responsibility for analyzing data and disseminating research on developmental, sociological, and psychosocial factors contributing to performance and mental health in youth alpine ski racers. His dissertation elucidated visual processing mechanisms of skilled soccer and volleyball athletes using EEG measures and manipulating visual displays. He has also conducted research on the impact of anxiety on visual behavior and postural control in expert performers.

At IHMC, Dr. DeCouto applies his expertise in human performance to enhance how individuals learn and utilize technologies that are of growing importance to clinical, industrial, and military domains. Consequently, he has sparked collaborations with researchers of robotics, exoskeletons, automation technologies, and artificial intelligence with the goal of better understanding how the constraints and characteristics of human cognitive processes contribute to effective human-machine teaming. He has also pursued research on interventions that mitigate operator stress.

When not at work, Brady enjoys playing volleyball, piano and guitar, and literally any type of game.