Areas of expertise
- Air Transport Safety & Investigation
- Aviation Management & Operations
- Human Factors
- Safety, Resilience, Risk & Reliability
Background
Graham holds a BSc (Hons) in Transport Management and Planning and a PhD in Aviation Safety Management from Loughborough University. From 1997 to 2003, he taught Aviation Safety and Human Factors at the University of New South Wales in Australia and was involved in a range of research projects covering ATC, cabin safety, rescue and firefighting and engineering human factors.
Graham joined Cranfield University in 2003 as the Director of the Safety and Accident Investigation Centre where he launched new multimodal accident investigation courses in 2004 and the world's first MSc for aircraft accident investigators in 2005. He became Director of Transport Systems in 2014 where he led on the £67M Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre. In 2024, he was appointed as Director of Aerospace and Aviation in 2024.
In 2011, Graham led the University's successful bid for a Queen's Anniversary Prize. This is the highest honour that can be given to a UK academic institution and was awarded for Cranfield's "world-leading work in aviation safety through research and teaching in air accident investigation." In 2012, he was given the honour 'Distinguished Alumni' of Loughborough University and in 2013 he was able to collect the Flight Safety Foundation's Richard Teller Crane Founders Award on behalf of Cranfield University for its sustained corporate leadership in aviation safety.
In 2019, Graham led the University's successful bid for its sixth Queen's Anniversary Prize - for the University's flying classrooms and laboratories.
Research opportunities
Applications for PhD research in areas relating to transport safety management, accident investigation and human factors are always welcome.
Please contact Graham for a preliminary conversation about your area of interest.
Current activities
Professor Braithwaite is Director of Aerospace and Aviation - one of the industry-facing themes that make up Cranfield University. Aerospace and Aviation covers eight centres: Aeronautics; Air Transport Management; Integrated Vehicle Health Management; the National Flying Laboratory Centre; Propulsion & Thermal Power Engineering; and Safety & Accident Investigation, as well as two major cross-university research facilities - the Aerospace Integration Research Centre (AIRC) and the Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre (DARTeC). The Theme operates a number of unique facilities including a SAAB 340B+ Flying Classroom and Laboratory, Boeing 737 Ground Demonstrator, Wind and Icing Tunnels, Engine test cells and Accident Investigation Laboratory.
Graham is also Professor of Safety and Accident Investigation and is involved in the development and delivery of training for transport accident investigators and safety professionals. He regularly speaks at international symposia and conferences on the topic (e.g. Safeskies, the Royal Aeronautical Society, Shell Aircraft, CHC Safety & Quality Forum) and is regularly called upon to provide expert advice on safety from organisations including the news media (e.g. BBC, ITN, CNN), the aviation industry and the House of Commons Transport Select Committee.
Graham is the independent non-exec on the TUI Airways UK Safety Review Board and Independent Safety Adviser to the British Airways Board.
Clients
- Civil Aviation Authority
- Department for Transport
- European Maritime Safety Agency
- Laing O'Rourke
- National Police Air Service
- Air Safety Support International
- Capital A Berhad (AirAsia)
- Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd
- British Airways
- China Airlines
- EasyJet PLC
- AirTanker 2021 Ltd
- Boeing Co
- European Aviation Safety Agency
- Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department
- MTR Corporation Ltd (Hong Kong)
- Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (Hong Kong)
- Rail Accident Investigation Branch
- Australian Transport Safety Bureau
- ALPA Japan
- Japan Transport Safety Board
- QinetiQ Group PLC
- Belfast Airport
- Hong Kong International Airport
- TUI Airways Ltd
Publications
Articles In Journals
- Chan WT-K, Li W-C & Braithwaite G. (2025). Pilots’ training backgrounds affecting the attribution of event causal factors and airline safety management. Journal of Air Transport Management, 125
- Wang Y, Li W-C, Korek WT & Braithwaite G. (2024). Future flight deck design: developing an innovative touchscreen inceptor combined with the primary flight display. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 101
- Zhang J, Li W-C, Braithwaite G & Blundell J. (2024). Practice effects of a breathing technique on pilots’ cognitive and stress associated heart rate variability during flight operations. Stress, 27(1)
- Daniels S, Braithwaite G & Gratton G. (2023). Establishing best practices in the use of an upgraded airborne teaching laboratory. The Aeronautical Journal, 127(1315)
- Li W-C, Nichanian A, Lin J & Braithwaite G. (2023). What can we learn from severity index on flight data monitoring? analysis of safety resilience in flight operations during COVID-19 disruptions. Ergonomics, 67(8)
- Li W-C, Zhang J, Braithwaite G & Kearney P. (2022). Quick coherence technique facilitating commercial pilots’ psychophysiological resilience to the impact of COVID-19. Ergonomics, 66(8)
- Li W-C, Zhang J, Court S, Kearney P & Braithwaite G. (2022). The influence of augmented reality interaction design on Pilot's perceived workload and situation awareness. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 92(November)
- Li W-C, Nichanian A, Lin J & Braithwaite G. (2022). Investigating the impacts of COVID-19 on aviation safety based on occurrences captured through flight data monitoring. Ergonomics, 66(10)
- Li W, Kearney P, Zhang J, Hsu Y-L & Braithwaite G. (2020). The analysis of occurrences associated with air traffic volume and air traffic controllers’ alertness for fatigue risk management. Risk Analysis, 41(6)
- Li W-C, Braithwaite GR, Wang T, Yung M & Kearney P. (2020). The benefits of integrated eye tracking with airborne image recorders in the flight deck: a rejected landing case study. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 78
- Harris JA, Denyer D, Harwood S, Braithwaite G, Jude S, .... (2020). Time to invest in global resilience. Nature, 583(7814)
- Li W-C, Horn A, Sun Z, Zhang J & Braithwaite G. (2019). Augmented visualization cues on primary flight display facilitating pilot's monitoring performance. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 135
- Kearney P, Li W-C, Zhang J, Braithwaite G & Wang L. (2019). Human performance assessment of a single air traffic controller conducting multiple remote tower operations. Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries, 30(2)
- Li W-C, Kearney P, Braithwaite G & Lin JJH. (2018). How much is too much on monitoring tasks? Visual scan patterns of single air traffic controller performing multiple remote tower operations. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 67
- Kearney P, Li W-C, Yu C-S & Braithwaite G. (2018). The impact of alerting designs on air traffic controller's eye movement patterns and situation awareness. Ergonomics, 62(2)
- Nixon J & Braithwaite GR. (2017). What do aircraft accident investigators do and what makes them good at it? Developing a competency framework for investigators using grounded theory. Safety Science, 103
- Lawrenson AJ & Braithwaite GR. (2017). Regulation or criminalisation: What determines legal standards of safety culture in commercial aviation. Safety Science, 102
- Li W-C, Yu C-S, Braithwaite G & Greaves MJ. (2016). Pilot’s attention distributions between chasing a moving target and a stationary target. Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance, 87(12)
- Yu C-S, Wang EM-Y, Li W-C & Braithwaite G. (2016). Pilots’ visual scan pattern and attention distribution during the pursuit of a dynamic target. Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance, 87(1)
- Langer M & Braithwaite G. (2016). The development and deployment of a maintenance operations safety survey. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 58(7)
- Underwood P, Waterson P & Braithwaite G. (2016). ‘Accident investigation in the wild’ – A small-scale, field-based evaluation of the STAMP method for accident analysis. Safety Science, 82
- Yu C-S, Wang EM-Y, Li W-C & Braithwaite G. (2014). Pilots’ visual scan pattern and situation awareness in flight operations. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 85(7)
- Rashid HSJ, Place CS & Braithwaite GR. (2014). Eradicating root causes of aviation maintenance errors: introducing the AMMP. Cognition, Technology & Work, 16(1)
- Vuorio A, Rantonen J, Johnson C, Ollila T, Salminen S, .... (2014). What fatal occupational accident investigators can learn from fatal aircraft accident investigations. Safety Science, 62
- Rashid HSJ, Place CS & Braithwaite GR. (2013). Investigating the investigations: a retrospective study in the aviation maintenance error causation. Cognition, Technology & Work, 15(2)
- Braithwaite GR. (2010). Twenty-First Century Reliability Accident investigation and the search for systemic failures. Safety and Reliability, 30(3)
- Rashid HSJ, Place CS & Braithwaite GR. (2010). Helicopter maintenance error analysis: Beyond the third order of the HFACS-ME. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 40(6)
- Mitchell SJ & Braithwaite GR. (2008). Perceptions of safety and offshore helicopter travel. International Journal of Energy Sector Management, 2(4)
- Braithwaite GR. (2001). Aviation rescue and firefighting in Australia — is it protecting the customer?. Journal of Air Transport Management, 7(2)
- Braithwaite GR, Caves RE & Faulkner JPE. (1998). Australian aviation safety — observations from the ‘lucky’ country. Journal of Air Transport Management, 4(1)
- Braithwaite GR & Caves RE. (1997). Airline safety — some lessons from Australia. The Aeronautical Journal, 101(1001)
