Lieutenant Colonel Justin Mensen
Assistant Professor of Behavior Sciences
Bio
Lieutenant Colonel Mensen was commissioned in 2007 from the University of St. Thomas ROTC Program. He completed his pilot training at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma and was stationed at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. as dual-qualified evaluator pilot in the MQ-1 and MQ-9 aircraft. He completed Test Pilot School in 2016 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and then served as Chief Test Pilot, Chief of Safety, and Operating Location Commander responsible for all U.S. Air Force acceptance and developmental testing on the MQ-1 and MQ-9.
Lieutenant Colonel Mensen was selected for a United States Air Force Academy Faculty Pipeline PhD and attended George Mason University where he completed his PhD in Psychology specializing in Human Factors and Applied Cognition in 2022. Following graduate school he served as a Program Manager and for the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and supported the Department of the Air Force Program Executive Officer for Command, Control, Communications, and Battle Management as the Department of the Air Force Battle Network Test Lead.
Lieutenant Colonel Mensen is currently serving as an Assistant Professor in the department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership where he teaches Leadership 300, and he serves as the Human Factors Discipline Lead.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy, Psychology, George Mason University (2019-2022)
Master of Science, Flight Test Engineering, USAF Test Pilot School (Air University) (2015-2016)
Masters of Aeronautical Science, Human Factors Aviation Systems & Aviation Management, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (2007-2013)
Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering, University of St Thomas (2002-2007)
Professional Experience
MQ-1B/MQ-9 Evaluator Pilot (2010-2019)
Flight Safety Officer (2014-2019)
Test Pilot (2016-2019)
Program Manager (2022-2025)
FAA Commercial Pilot – Single Engine Land, Single Engine Sea, Multi-Engine Land, and Glider
FAA Instrument – Airplane
FAA Private Pilot Rotorcraft – Helicopter
FAA Certified Flight Instructor – Glider
Honors & Awards
Meritorious Service Medal with 1 oak leaf cluster (2016-2025)
Aerial Achievement Medal with 20 oak leaf clusters (2010-2019)
Air and Space Commendation Medal (2010-2014)
Air and Space Achievement Medal (2007-2008)
Research and Scholarly Interests
Human Factors
Aviation Safety
Rapid Acquisition
Test Management
Test & Acquisition Policy Reform
Publications
Mensen, J. M., Peterson, M. S., Shaw, T. H., & Helton, W. S. (2025). The impact of snap-to-target on speed and accuracy in a Go/No-Go target detection task. Applied Ergonomics, 128, 104556.
Command Control Communications and Battle Management (C3BM) Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) Aerial Networking (AN) PHALANX GRIFFON (PG) MAJOR RELEASE (MR) 2 Test and Evaluation Strategy (Approved by DOTE February 14, 2025)
Mensen, J. M., Holland, S. B., Helton, W. S., Shaw, T. H., & Peterson, M. S. (2024). Prolonging the response movement reduces commission errors in a high-go, low-no-go target detection task and composite metrics of performance miss this effect. Human factors, 66(4), 1118-1131.
Command Control Communications and Battle Management (C3BM) Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) Cloud Based Command and Control (CBC2) Test and Evaluation Strategy (Approved by DOTE August 7, 2024)
Mensen, J. M., Dang, J. S., Stets, A. J., & Helton, W. S. (2022). The effects of real-time performance feedback and performance emphasis on the sustained attention to response task (SART). Psychological Research, 86(6), 1972-1979.
HAVE LIGHT – An Evaluation of Electro-Optic System Imaging Performance
Test Techniques and C-12J Utility as an Electro Optics Airborne Test Bed,
Society of Flight Test Engineers, 47th Annual International Symposium, 8-11
Aug 2016, Wichita KS B.J. Neff, R. Hardgrove, M.L. Bennett, C.J. Liebmann, J.M. Mensen, M.M.T. Lippert, E.J. Santroch