Contact Dr Gulsum Kubra Kaya
- Tel: +44 (0) 1234 754096
- Email: Kubra.Kaya@cranfield.ac.uk
- ORCID
- Google Scholar
- ResearchGate
Background
Dr Gulsum Kubra Kaya is a system safety scientist and human factors specialist at Cranfield University’s Safety and Accident Investigation Centre. Her research focuses on how complex socio-technical systems can be designed, assessed and improved to support safer, more resilient and more responsible operations.
She works at the intersection of system safety, human factors, risk assessment, accident analysis and safety assurance, with particular expertise in systems-based methods including STPA, FRAM, CAST, network modelling and socio-technical risk analysis. Her work applies these methods to safety-critical domains including aviation, healthcare, rail, autonomous systems, AI-enabled operations and future transport.
Dr Kaya is especially interested in the safe adoption of emerging technologies, including AI and large language models, autonomous and remote operations, hydrogen-powered aviation, drones and human-AI interaction. She collaborates with academic, industry and public-sector partners on applied research, consultancy, funded doctoral projects and evidence-based safety interventions.
She is a Chartered Ergonomist and Human Factors Specialist, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Deputy Editor of BMJ Health & Care Informatics, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, and an Editorial Board Member of Ergonomics.
Research opportunities
Dr Kaya welcomes enquiries from prospective PhD students, research sponsors and industry partners interested in system safety, human factors and safety assurance in complex socio-technical systems.
Potential PhD topics include:
- Safety assurance of AI-enabled and autonomous systems
- Human-AI interaction in safety-critical operations
- Large language models and their role in system safety assessment
- STPA, FRAM and CAST for accident analysis and risk assessment
- Human factors integration in complex engineering systems
- Safety assurance for hydrogen-powered and low-emission aviation
- System safety of drones, remote towers and autonomous ground operations
- Safety culture, incident reporting and machine learning in healthcare and transport
- Resilience engineering and safety decision-making.
She is particularly interested in projects developed with industrial, healthcare, aviation, transport, regulatory or public-sector partners, including sponsored PhD studentships, CASE-style projects, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and collaborative grant applications.
Current activities
Dr Kaya’s current research focuses on safety assurance, human factors and socio-technical risk management in complex safety-critical systems. Her work examines how systems-based methods can be used to understand, assess and improve safety in emerging technologies and operational environments.
She is currently involved in research on AI-enabled systems, human-AI interaction, autonomous and remote operations, accident analysis, liquid-hydrogen-powered aviation, healthcare safety and safety-critical transport systems. Her recent work includes the application of STPA, FRAM, CAST and network modelling to support safety assessment, accident analysis and evidence-based decision-making.
Across these activities, Dr Kaya is interested in developing practical approaches that help organisations, regulators and system designers manage risk, integrate human factors and support the safe adoption of new technologies. She welcomes collaboration with academic, industry, healthcare, transport and public-sector partners on applied research, consultancy, funded studentships and collaborative grant proposals.
Publications
Articles In Journals
- Losi E, Kaya GK, Camelia F, Chatzimichailidou M, Slater DH, .... (2027). Systemic safety analysis of complex socio-technical events: Insights from applying causal analysis based on systems theory and functional resonance analysis method. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 277
- Abdouramane Attou Bounou N, Kaya GK & Camelia F. (2026). A system-based safety analysis of AI-enabled UAV operations for runway FOD detection: application of STPA and PROMETHEE. Safety Science, 202
- Kaya GK, Stallard R, St-Laurent M, Li W-C & Sujan M. (2026). Exploring unstable approaches in aviation: utilising functional resonance analysis method. The Aeronautical Journal, 130(1345)
- Sarmis A, Ustebay S, Mutlu M, Canbaz F & Kaya GK. (2026). Deep learning-based rapid identification of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae from chromogenic agar urine cultures using YOLOv12. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, Volume 19(0)
- Ouda E, Chaabi I, Abualola H, Ramadan M, Patro P, .... (2026). The role of artificial intelligence in reducing dispensing errors for patient safety and quality: a systems approach. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 19(0)
- Kaya GK, Bovell D, Sujan M & Braithwaite GR. (2025). Large language models powered system safety assessment: applying STPA and FRAM. Safety Science, 191
- Saif Rashed Almazrouei S, Camelia F, Leal R, Ferris TLJ, Kaya GK, .... (2025). Human factors integration in complex systems: awareness, challenges and strategies. Ergonomics, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print)
- Kaya GK, Humphreys M, Camelia F & Chatzimichailidou M. (2025). Integrating causal analysis based on system theory with network modelling to enhance accident analysis. Ergonomics, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print)
- Sujan M, Lounsbury O, Pickup L, Kaya GK, Earl L, .... (2024). What kinds of insights do Safety-I and Safety-II approaches provide? a critical reflection on the use of SHERPA and FRAM in healthcare. Safety Science, 175
- Kaya GK, Ustebay S, Nixon J, Pilbeam C & Sujan M. (2023). Exploring the impact of safety culture on incident reporting: lessons learned from machine learning analysis of NHS England staff survey and incident data. Safety Science, 166(October)
- ERDEMİR N, ÖZTÜRK F & KAYA GK. (2022). Kamu personeli performans değerlendirmesi için AHP ve bulanık TOPSIS ile bütünleşik karar destek modeli. Gazi Üniversitesi Mühendislik Mimarlık Fakültesi Dergisi, 37(4)
- Kara A, Masri A & Kaya GK. (2022). New branch location selection with AHP, ARAS and fuzzy TOPSIS: an example of a supplier company in the maritime industry. Pamukkale University Journal of Engineering Sciences, 28(1)
- Ustebay S, Sarmis A, Kaya GK & Sujan M. (2022). A comparison of machine learning algorithms in predicting COVID-19 prognostics. Internal and Emergency Medicine, 18(1)
- Kaya GK, Ozturk F & Sariguzel EE. (2021). System-based risk analysis in a tram operating system: Integrating Monte Carlo simulation with the functional resonance analysis method. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 215
- Kaya GK. (2021). A system safety approach to assessing risks in the sepsis treatment process. Applied Ergonomics, 94
- Komashie A, Ward J, Bashford T, Dickerson T, Kaya GK, .... (2021). Systems approach to health service design, delivery and improvement: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open, 11(1)
- Kaya GK, Ward J, Pearman A & Clarkson J. (2021). Evaluation of the formal risk assessment practice in hospitals in England. Journal of Risk Research, 24(6)
- Kaya GK & Hocaoglu MF. (2020). Semi-quantitative application to the Functional Resonance Analysis Method for supporting safety management in a complex health-care process. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 202
- Kaya GK, Ovali HF & Ozturk F. (2019). Using the functional resonance analysis method on the drug administration process to assess performance variability. Safety Science, 118
- Simsekler MCE, Kaya GK, Ward JR & Clarkson PJ. (2019). Evaluating inputs of failure modes and effects analysis in identifying patient safety risks. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 32(1)
- Kaya GK, Ward J & Clarkson J. (2019). A Review of Risk Matrices Used in Acute Hospitals in England. Risk Analysis, 39(5)
- Kaya GK, Ward JR & Clarkson PJ. (2019). A framework to support risk assessment in hospitals. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 31(5)
- ÖZTÜRK F & KAYA GK. AFET SONRASI TOPLANMA ALANLARININ PROMETHEE METODU İLE DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ. Uludağ University Journal of The Faculty of Engineering, 25(3)
- ÖZTÜRK F & KAYA GK. BULANIK VIKOR İLE PERSONEL SEÇİMİ: OTOMOTİV YAN SANAYİNDE UYGULAMA. Gazi Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Dergisi Part C: Tasarım ve Teknoloji, 8(1)
Conference Papers
- Kaya GK. (2022). Safety Risk Management in Complex Systems
- Kaya GK & Ozturk F. (2022). A Comparison of the Multi-criteria Decision-Making Methods for the Selection of Researchers
- Kaya GK. (2021). Rational Decision-Making in Purchasing Medical Devices
- Kaya GK. (2020). The use of multi-criteria decision-making methods to support risk prioritisation
Books
- Kaya GK. (2021). Safety Risk Management in Complex Systems In Calisir F(ed.), ndustrial Engineering in the Internet-of-Things World. GJCIE 2020. Springer.
- Kaya GK & Ozturk F. (2021). A Comparison of the Multi-criteria Decision-Making Methods for the Selection of Researchers In Calisir F(ed.), Industrial Engineering in the Internet-of-Things World. GJCIE 2020. Springer.
- Kaya GK & Canbaz HT. (2019). The Problem with Traditional Accident Models to Investigate Patient Safety Incidents in Healthcare In Lecture Notes in Management and Industrial Engineering. Springer International Publishing.
- Kaya GK. (2019). The Relationship Between Risk Management and Patient Safety Incidents in Acute Hospitals in NHS England In Lecture Notes in Management and Industrial Engineering. Springer International Publishing.