Wesley Olson

Dr. Wesley A. Olson is the leader of the Surveillance Systems Group at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. The group develops surveillance and decision support architectures and technologies to enable future transportation systems.

Olson leads the development of technologies to improve aviation safety. Since 2010, he has led development of the next-generation airborne collision avoidance system, ACAS X. He is involved in other research and development efforts to safely integrate new airspace entrants such as large and small unmanned aircraft systems as well as Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft. He serves as technical advisor to the U.S. panel member on the ICAO Surveillance Panel and the Airborne Collision Avoidance Subgroup, provides technical leadership on several RTCA special committees, and is a participant on the Air Traffic Control Association Blue Skies Initiative team.  

Prior to joining Lincoln Laboratory, Olson served for 22 years in the U.S. Air Force, where he held positions including associate professor and deputy head of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at the United States Air Force Academy, and deputy director for operations at the Air Force Flight Standards Agency. He is a rated pilot with 3,500 flight hours in the C-5, C-21, and TG-7 aircraft and holds an FAA Air Transport Pilot rating.

Olson received PhD and MS degrees in engineering psychology from University of Illinois and a BS degree in human factors engineering from the United States Air Force Academy.