I am currently a contract instructor for the NFA EFO program. My research focuses on leveraging tools and technology to better support the fire service, with a specific emphasis on pre-incident planning.
I completed a postdoctoral research appointment at Brown University, supporting the NIST Public Safety Communications Research Division (PSCR).
Prior to joining academia, I worked in the defense industry as a research psychologist for the U.S. Navy, supporting large-scale research and development programs focused on expanding and integrating virtual and augmented Reality (VR/AR) training capabilities. I was also a research statistician with Orange County Fire Rescue Department in FL.
My work has been published and presented at both national and international conferences, such as the Fire-Rescue International (FRI) Research Symposium, the Society for Fire Protection Engineering (SFPE) Annual Conference, the International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (ISCRAM), the Florida Hazardous Materials Symposium, the IAFC's Community Risk Reduction Leadership Conference, and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) Annual Meetings.
I received a scholarship in 2018 from the National Training and Simulation Association (NTSA) for my dissertation research supporting the advancement of technology and information systems for the fire service.
**Please note my contact information has changed. Please email me at drkapalo@gmail.com**