Esmaeil Zarei

Title
Associate Professor
Email
Department
Safety Science Department
College
College of Aviation

Areas of Expertise

​

Artificial Intelligence–Driven Risk and Safety Analytics

AI-Augmented Safety, Risk, and Human Factors Assessment

Human–AI Interaction and Human Factors Risk Modeling

Probabilistic and Risk-Based Decision-Making Under Uncertainty

System Safety and Reliability Modeling in Complex Sociotechnical Systems

Esmaeil Zarei

Esmaeil Zarei has served as an Associate Professor of Safety Science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) since 2022. Prior to this appointment, he was affiliated with the Centre for Risk, Integrity, and Safety Engineering (C-RISE) at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, beginning in January 2020. He previously held positions as an Assistant Professor (2017–2022) and Faculty Instructor (2012–2014) in Occupational Health and Safety Engineering programs in Iran.

Before transitioning to academia, Dr. Zarei worked for three years as a Safety and Risk Engineer in the manufacturing sector, gaining practical experience in industrial risk assessment and operational safety management. Throughout his academic career, he has held multiple leadership roles, including Founder and Director of Safety and Occupational Health Laboratories, Director of a Student Research Center, and Executive Manager of an Industry Innovation and Partnerships Office. He has also played a central role in designing and launching one undergraduate and three graduate academic programs, including the development of associated laboratory infrastructure and computational platforms in ergonomics, noise control, air ventilation, and safety systems.

Dr. Zarei’s research agenda is centered on AI-driven decision-making for safety-critical systems, with a strong emphasis on safety analytics, data-driven risk assessment, and intelligent predictive modeling. His work integrates machine learning, human factors engineering, and reliability analysis to address challenges in complex sociotechnical systems. At ERAU’s Robertson Safety Institute (RSI), he leads research that advances both foundational methodologies and applied frameworks for AI-enabled safety management, supporting decision-making under uncertainty across emerging technologies and high-risk domains. He also serves as a Faculty Research Affiliate at the Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety, where he contributes to research strategy, grant development, data governance, scholarly dissemination, and industry collaboration, with a focus on advancing data-centric safety solutions in aviation.

With academic experience spanning four universities, Dr. Zarei has established sustained collaborations with industry partners and leading academic institutions worldwide since 2012. He has (co)supervised more than 25 master’s and doctoral theses and currently serves as an Associate Editor and Editorial Board Member for several leading Elsevier journals in safety, reliability, and risk engineering. He has authored or co-authored over 150 peer-reviewed journal articles, along with three books and more than 20 book chapters. In recognition of his scholarly impact, he has been named among Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% of Scientists for three consecutive years since 2021.

  • Ph.D. - Doctor of Philosophy in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, Memorial University of Newfoundland
  • Ph.D. - Doctor of Philosophy in Occupational Health Engineering, Hamedan University of Medical Sciences
  • M. - Master in Occupational Health Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences
  • B. - Bachelor in Occupational Health Engineering, Tehran University of Medical Sciences
  • A. - Associate in Occupational Health, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences
  • SFTY 617: Aviation Human Factors
  • SFTY 540: Disaster, Prepare & Emerg Resp
  • SFTY 700: Graduate Thesis
  • SFTY 612: Research Methods in Safety
  • MSF 609: System Safety
  • SF 445: System Safety and Risk Mngmt

MSF603 – Occupational Safety

MSF 609 – System Safety

Associate Editor/Member

  • Journal of Safety Science and Resilience, Elsevier                                         2025-Present
  • Knowledge and Decision Systems with Applications (KADSA)                     2024-Present
  • Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, Elsevier                       2022-Present
  • Human Factors in Healthcare, Elsevier                                                              2022-Present
  • Journal of Computational and Cognitive Engineering, BVP                          2022-Present
  • Iranian Journal of Ergonomics, IES                                                                     2022-Present
  • Journal of Health Scope, Brieflands                                                                    2020 - Present
  • Journal of Research in Environmental Health, Mashhad University             2017- Present

(Lead) Guest Editor

  • Sustainability, Special Issue Topic: Risk, Resilience and Reliability Analysis for ‎Sustainable Management                                                             Oct 2021- Dec 2022
  • Journal of Safety, Special Issue Topic: Safety, Resilience and Reliability Challenges and Engineering Research in Renewable Energies                        Oct 2022-July 2023
  • Decision Analytics Journal, Special Issue Topic: Business Analytics Models and Applications in Risk Management                                               Dec 2022-Sep 2023
  • Certified Safety Professional (CSP), BCSP (Board of Certified Safety Professionals), 2023
  •  Associated Safety Professional (ASP), BCSP (Board of Certified Safety Professionals), 2023
  • American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) Member
  • Graduate Supervisor Institute (10 modules) Memorial University (MUN) and Athabasca University, October 2020-July 2021.
  • Research Fellowship (8 modules), Mashhad University, Jan 2019-July 2019.
  • Teaching Fellowship (7 modules), Mashhad University, Jan 2019-July 2019.
  • 20225, 24, 2023, 22, 21 The World's Top 2% Scientists, Stanford University & Elsevier Study Report.

  • 2025, Dr. Jacqueline R. Luedtke Research, Scholarship & Design Award (2025),ERAU,  College of Aviation.

  • 2024, Curriculum development grant, Boeing Center for Aviation & Aerospace Safety

  • 2020 School of Graduate Studies Scholarship, Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN).
  • 2020 Centre for Risk, Integrity and Safety Engineering (C-RISE) Scholarship, MUN.
  • 2019 Performance Award for "Practice-oriented Teaching Excellence", Mashhad University.
  • 2017and 2016 Performance awards for "Outstanding Research”, Ministry of Health Education.
  • 2016 Dean Award for "Excellent Academic Performance” Hamedan University.
  • 2005-2014 Ministry of Health Education Scholarship for all degrees from A.Sc. to Ph.D.