Crisp studio photograph of a plain deep blue seamless backdrop with soft even lighting and a calm, formal mood

Honors Received

Recognition and distinctions awarded to Richard A. Schmidt, Ph.D., over the course of his academic and professional career.

Recognition Across a Career

Dr. Schmidt is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and President of Human Performance Research. His work spans human performance, motor skills and motor learning, human factors, and ergonomics.

Honors and distinctions awarded to him are recorded in his curriculum vitae, which also documents his education, appointments, and research emphases. The CV revision date is November 2012.

For the full record of awards and professional recognition, see the Curriculum Vitae.

Throughout a distinguished career, recognition from professional societies and academic institutions has marked significant contributions to the understanding of human performance, motor learning, and human factors. These honors reflect decades of research that have shaped how scientists and practitioners think about skill acquisition, the limitations of human perception and reaction, and the design of safer products and environments. Awards have acknowledged both theoretical advances published in scientific journals and practical applications that have influenced fields ranging from ergonomics to consumer product safety. Such distinctions are meaningful not only as personal achievements but as validations of rigorous, evidence-based work that bridges laboratory research and real-world challenges in transportation, workplace safety, and product design.

The accumulation of professional honors speaks to a sustained commitment to advancing knowledge about how people learn, perform, and sometimes fail under various conditions. Recognition has come from peers who value careful experimental work on attention, distraction, panic, and the boundaries of human capability. These accolades often accompany invitations to share expertise through expert testimony, consulting engagements, and collaborative projects with automakers, manufacturers, and other organizations concerned with operator behavior and system safety. For a career devoted to understanding human limitations and designing around them, such honors serve as markers of impact—evidence that research has genuinely improved the safety and usability of products, vehicles, and workplaces.

Crisp studio photograph of a small polished award plaque on a seamless light gray backdrop, with soft shadows and a restrained, dignified mood — Recognition recorded in the curriculum vitae.

Career Milestones

Selected distinctions and positions documented for Dr. Schmidt.

Year	Distinction or Position
1962	Named to the All American Gymnastics Team on the still rings.
1963	B.A. in Physical Education, with a minor in Mathematics, University of California, Berkeley.
1965	M.A., University of California, Berkeley.
1967	Ph.D., University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Since June 2001	President, Human Performance Research.
Since January 2009	Senior Human Factors Consultant, Vector Scientific, Inc.