Rate My Professor Douglas Drury

Professor Douglas Drury is Professor and Head of Aviation in the School of Engineering and Technology at Central Queensland University. He has amassed over 40 years of experience in the aviation sector, beginning as a military paratrooper and pilot, followed by roles with US airlines, private charter flight companies, and emergency medical operations. Drury holds an Airline Transport Pilot fixed-wing rating and a Commercial Instrument rating in helicopters. His academic journey includes a PhD in Aviation Human Factors and Safety Management Systems from the University of South Australia in 2012, with the thesis titled "Controlled Flight into Emotional Terrain." He also earned a Master of Arts in Higher Education from Appalachian State University and a Bachelor of Science with dual majors in Management Information Systems and Industrial Operations Management, along with a minor in Japanese, from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Before joining CQUniversity, Drury worked at the University of South Australia for 11 years.

Drury's research specializations encompass aviation human factors, risk and safety management systems, and emotional responses to perceived threats in high-risk industries. Key publications include "“Air rage”: A systematic review of research on disruptive airline passenger behaviour 1985-2020" (2020), "Regional Aviation Early Career Pilot Attributes Study" (2015), "Detection of Heightened Emotional Activity in Commercial Airline Crews" (2013), and "Restricted sleep and negative affective states in commercial pilots during short haul operations" (2012). He has received the ITEE Teacher of the Year award in 2015 and the Teaching Excellence Award in 2018. A member of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Drury is accredited to supervise research in aerospace engineering, space sciences, and other psychology areas. He passionately teaches aviation, fostering problem-solving and critical thinking skills in students, and provides expert commentary to major Australian media outlets and international publications such as the Washington Post.