Chief EXECUTIVE officer & Founder, NEUMANN NEXUS
Dr. Katherine (Katt) Rahill is the CEO and founder of Neumann Nexus, a pioneering consulting firm specializing in human factors, artificial intelligence (AI), and human-computer interaction (HCI). With a career spanning space exploration, advanced air mobility (AAM), and organizational strategy, Dr. Rahill’s vision centers on redefining how technology aligns with human potential.
Prior to founding Neumann Nexus, Dr. Rahill served as Chief Operating Officer at Fait Corporation, an AAM start-up, where she drove FAA certification, human performance optimization, and the integration of automated systems. Her leadership was instrumental in positioning Fait in a rapidly evolving industry of AAM.
Dr. Rahill’s contributions to NASA’s space exploration programs include optimizing human performance in high-fidelity lunar and Martian analogs, designing intuitive systems for autonomous spacecraft and space habitats, and addressing the human performance risks of long-duration spaceflight as Senior Scientist for NASA’s Human Research Program (HRP). Her strategic oversight spanned health risks such as radiation, behavioral performance, and medical capability, with findings translated into actionable countermeasures.
Dr. Rahill received her MA & PhD from Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where she was the Founder/Director of CUA's Lunar Psychophysics Virtual Reality Laboratory. Her dissertation introduced a novel area of specialization, "lunar psychophysics", which considers a range of visual, neurological and physiological components of sensory perception and their relationship to optical properties of light, atmospheric light scattering, and psychophysical changes on the Moon. Findings sought to provide novel discussions that enhance understanding of how the visual system interacts with other biological systems, shedding light on human adaptability to novel physical stimuli in extraterrestrial environments.
As a Preeminent Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Central Florida, her work received awards from NASA and the American Psychological Association Briggs Dissertation Award for the most outstanding dissertation in the field of Engineering and Applied-Experimental Psychology. Her research has been highlighted in The UK Times, Scotland's The Last Question Podcast, Singularity University's "How One Researcher is Using VR to Help Our Eyes Adapt to Seeing in Space" and DC Radio Sputnik.
During her PhD, Dr. Rahill completed a 5-year Consortium Doctoral Fellowship at the U.S. Army Research Institute at Ft. Belvoir. She held a pivotal role in the development of the Army Command Climate research program combating issues related to unit performance, such as toxic leadership and sexual assault. She participated in the Army Chief of Staff SSG review of Sikorsky's contract for Military and Presidential aircraft.
During her time as Chair of Communications for the Society of Military Psychology (APA Division 19), she transformed the online media presence for APA Military Psychologists, and is a graduate of the APA Military Psychology Society Leadership Program. Her work on ethical leadership in the Army received a honorable Presidential Citation from APA Division 19. She introduced of the Society of Military Psychology and the Association for Psychological Science at CUA, receiving an Excellence in Teaching and Leadership Award from the CUA Department of Psychology for her contributions to curriculum development.
Dr. Rahill received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Dayton. As an undergraduate, she conducted research at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where she was a lead contractor of the Multi-Modal Communications Lab in the Battlespace Acoustics Branch/Warfighter Interface Division/711th Human Performance Wing. Additionally, she spent 3 years supporting clinical research on domestic violence and re-victimization in the Women's Psychology Lab, and received department nominations for the Reverend Raymond Roesch Award of Excellence to the Outstanding Students in Psychology.