Ivan Pupulidy, PhD, ATP, CFII, MEI

Professor
​University of Alabama at Birmingham

Ivan Pupulidy's ability to integrate academic research with real world application comes from his varied life pursuits, which have included work as a mine geologist, exploration geophysicist, and a U.S. Coast Guard pilot for rescue and law enforcement missions. Ivan was an accomplished Forest Service aviation firefighter and served in the U.S. Air Guard and Air Force Reserves as a C-130 pilot, Safety Officer, and MAFFS tanker pilot on wildland fires.

Dr. Ivan Pupulidy created the U.S. Forest Service Office of Innovation and Organizational Learning to focus on understanding risk in complex adaptive systems and foster a culture of learning in the agency. Ivan developed the Learning Review, which replaced serious accident investigation in the U.S. Forest Service.

Currently a Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Ivan teaches courses in learning-based safety and human potential, for the Advanced Safety and Engineering Management master’s degree program. His courses, like his career, focus on risk and safety in complex systems and high-risk environments. Ivan earned a Master of Science degree in Human Factors and Systems Safety at Lund University, Sweden, under Professor Sidney Dekker, and completed his PhD in Organizational Transformation, at Tilburg University, Netherlands.