
Ken Ford (Lunar Landings, Elite Human Performance and Firefighter Schedules) - Episode 1228
From Behind The Shield by James Geering
April 16, 2026 · 2h 11m · Episode 1228
About this episode
Dr. Ken Ford discusses his military background, NASA experiences, and research on human performance.
Dr Ken Ford is a Navy veteran, former NASA computer scientist and the Founder and Chief Executive Officer Emeritus of the Florida Insitute for Human and Machine Cognition. We discuss his journey into the military, living in Guantanamo Bay, the genesis of computers in the military, the moon landing, exploring Mars, Tier One operators, the firefighter workweek, exoskeletons, sleep for performance and so much more. With campuses in Pensacola and Ocala, IHMC has grown into one of the nation’s premier research organizations with world-class scientists and engineers investigating a broad range of topics related to building technological systems aimed at amplifying and extending human cognition, perception, locomotion and resilience. Dr. Ford is the author of hundreds of scientific papers and six books. Dr. Ford’s research interests include: artificial intelligence, cognitive science, human-centered computing, and entrepreneurship in government and academia. Dr. Ford received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Tulane University. Ford is a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science…
People in this episode
Host: James Geering
Guest: Dr Ken Ford
Topics covered
- military experience
- NASA
- human performance
- firefighter schedules
- artificial intelligence
- cognitive science
Keywords
- Navy veteran
- NASA
- human cognition
- exoskeletons
- sleep performance
- cognitive science
- artificial intelligence
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Academy of Inventors
Places: Guantanamo Bay
More episodes of Behind The Shield
- Dr Kelly Starrett (Functional Mobility, Injury Prevention and Rehab in the Tactical Athlete) - Episode 624 · June 11, 2026 · 1h 20m
- Mitchell Brown (Pittsburg's Original Paramedics, Mental Health and Leadership) - Episode 1251 · June 9, 2026 · 2h 19m
- Walt Dix (The 24/72 Revolution, the Journeyman Firefighter and Forging Tactical Athletes) - Episode 1250 · June 7, 2026 · 2h 15m
- Liz Carmouche (The Iraq War, Mixed Martial Arts and Underwater Fitness) - Episode 432 · June 6, 2026 · 1h 11m
- Jeff Bonner (Fighter Pilot Combat Missions, the Power of Debriefs and the Airline Industry) - Episode 1249 · June 5, 2026 · 2h 21m
- Jason, Emily and Rich II (Learning from War, the Power of Diplomacy and the Obesity Crisis) - Episode 1248 · June 2, 2026 · 1h 48m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Behind The Shield podcast page.