Academic Credentials
  • M.A.Sc., Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada, 2015
  • B.A.Sc., Honours Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, 2012
Academic Appointments
  • Research Assistant, Human Factors and Applied Statistics Laboratory, University of Toronto, 2013-2015
Professional Affiliations
  • Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 2014 - present

Ms. Hoekstra-Atwood is a human factors professional with expertise in evaluating human performance in traffic safety and critical systems. She conducts empirical research and analyses to evaluate how systems interact with users' attention, perceptual, and cognitive capabilities, and the impact of these interactions on human performance and overall system performance. 

In her work, Ms. Hoekstra-Atwood has investigated issues related to information acquisition, diagnostic error, reaction time, decision-making, human-machine interface design, and driver behavior. She has applied her knowledge and experience to produce design guidelines, system specifications, and mitigation strategies to support driver performance, pedestrian safety, nuclear power plant technician diagnostic accuracy, and software accessibility. In addition, Ms. Hoekstra-Atwood has extensive experience analyzing and evaluating driver performance and safety using task analyses, eye trackers, driving simulators, and instrumented vehicles.

Ms. Hoekstra-Atwood earned a Master's degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto, with a focus on driver attention and distraction. Her research has been supported by various governmental and research agencies including the Federal Highway Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Federal Railroad Administration, and Toyota's Collaborative Safety Research Center.