Jon French is an Associate Professor of Human Factors and Systems at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and the Department Research Director. He has over 60 publications in the area of human performance during stress, particularly from inadequate sleep. He received an M.S. and PhD in Physiological Psychology at Colorado State University. Dr French then completed postdoctoral training at Cornell University Medical College and worked as a research pharmacologist at the Parke-Davis Co and the University of Michigan in the area of Cognition Enhancement.

Dr. French served for 11 years as a civilian scientist with the US Air Force Research Laboratory at Brooks AFB. He continues to consult to the USAF particularly in the area of aircrew alertness management. He was the Lead Behavioral Neuroscientist for Micro Analysis & Design, where he developed algorithms for generalized stress, such as fatigue, heat and motion sickness, to improve the realism of computer simulations and predictions of human performance. At Embry Riddle University, Dr French has programs to assess pilot fatigue, simulator sickness, UAV operator workload, and developing models that simulate mass evacuation conditions and panic.