Debra Henneberry is an Assistant Professor in the School of Aviation and Transportation Technology at Purdue University. She has been a commercially rated pilot and flight instructor for nearly 20 years. Before her appointment at Purdue University, Dr. Henneberry instructed at an aeronautical college in New York City for over ten years. Prior to joining higher education, Dr. Henneberry flew for Part 135 operators and private aircraft owners. She also served several years as a government administrator.
In addition, Dr. Henneberry is an Emergency Medical Technician, with extensive training in HAZMAT operations, counterterrorism, and emergency management. Her research interests are aligned with improving flight instruction, particularly regarding human factors. Major themes in her research include completion of pilot training, fatigue, mental health, wearable technologies, and the application of artificial intelligence in aviation operations.
At the 16th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics, Dr. Henneberry and her co-authors received the Best Paper Award for The implementation of AI in aviation accident investigations. Furthermore, Dr. Henneberry has co-authored two books published by Taylor & Francis, Investigating transport accidents: human performance and intelligent systems and Advanced air mobility: Human factors, ecosystem readiness, and the integration of eVTOLs.