Fellowship in Memory of Dr. Randall M. Chambers, Distinguished Professor Emeritus

Dr. Randall Chambers was an engineering research psychologist and human factors scientist. A space pioneer and former chief life scientist and head of human factors at NASA Langley Research Center, he developed and implemented research and training programs for the early astronauts in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo projects. Born in Vincennes, Ind., he received a bachelor’s in experimental psychology from Indiana University, a master’s degree in physiological and experimental psychology from the University of Missouri, and his Ph.D. in industrial, organizational, experimental and engineering psychology from Case-Western Reserve University. While at University of Missouri, Dr. Chambers was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force where he became enamored with the challenges of space exploration. His career included chief of the psychology division and the head of human factors engineering at the U.S. Naval Air Development Center and professorships at Rutgers University, Georgia Tech, and Distinguished Professor of Industrial Engineering at WSU. Dr. Chambers authored numerous scientific articles and co-authored a book with his wife, Mary Jane, about the early space program, ‘Getting off the Planet published in 2006.

When Dr. Chambers passed away in 2007, his beloved wife of 58 years established a memorial in his name. Contributions from the memorial created the Dr. Chambers Memorial Fellowship, to be awarded to graduate students in the Department of Psychology, Human Factors Program.