Carrie Merlin is an assistant professor in the Air Traffic Management Department at ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ. She teaches undergraduate courses in air traffic operations, safety and En Route procedures, emphasizing operational realism, applied learning and alignment with current industry practices. Her work focuses on helping students connect classroom concepts with the operational demands of the National Airspace System.
Before joining academia, Merlin served more than 26 years with the Federal Aviation Administration, including executive leadership roles within the National Airspace System. She served as Air Traffic Manager at the Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center, overseeing one of the nation’s busiest En Route airspace environments, and later as Washington District Support Manager for Quality Control, specializing in operational risk mitigation, safety oversight and performance improvement.
At Embry-Riddle, Merlin has modernized multiple Air Traffic Management courses to strengthen alignment with FAA operational procedures, improve student engagement and support learning outcomes. Working with the Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety (BCAAS) and the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE), she continues to refine course content and instructional methods. Through the CTLE Students as Partners program, she collaborates directly with student partners in the development and revision of course materials to ensure instruction remains grounded in operational relevance and student learning needs.
Her classroom innovations include fatigue and cognitive workload exercises, mock tower operations using real-world standard operating procedures and runway safety scenarios that guide students through event analysis, system service reviews, corrective action planning and safety evaluation. She also provides additional student support through evening and weekend radar simulation sessions in the En Route Lab.
Merlin’s research interests focus on air traffic safety, fatigue and vigilance, human factors, Safety Management Systems and Advanced Air Mobility integration. She currently contributes to AAM and eVTOL research supporting the Florida Department of Transportation, with emphasis on emergency operations, off-nominal events and airspace integration challenges. Her work reflects a broader interest in research that is operationally grounded, policy relevant and responsive to the future of the National Airspace System.
Merlin serves as co-sponsor of the Air Traffic Controllers Organization at Embry-Riddle and participates in faculty development initiatives focused on applied learning and instructional excellence in aviation education.
B.A. - Bachelor of Arts in History, George Mason University
Before joining ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ, Carrie Merlin served more than 26 years with the Federal Aviation Administration in operational and executive leadership. She entered on duty in 1998 at the Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center and became a Certified Professional Controller, culminating in leadership positions that included Operational Supervisor, Operations Manager, Washington District Support Manager for Quality Control and Air Traffic Manager.
Her FAA career focused heavily on En Route operations, safety oversight, operational risk mitigation and controller development. As Washington District Support Manager for Quality Control, she specialized in compliance oversight, safety analysis and system service reviews involving operational events, trends and corrective action planning. Her experience also included participation in post-incident reviews and interactions associated with National Transportation Safety Board investigations.
As Air Traffic Manager at Washington ARTCC, she led one of the FAA’s major En Route facilities and contributed to national operational and training initiatives, including service on the FAA Academy Analysis and Recommendation Workgroup focused on En Route initial qualification training and training modernization efforts. Throughout her FAA career, she contributed to operational and safety initiatives including the Atlantic Coast Route Project Team, which received the Eastern Region Administrator Award for Excellence in Leadership.
Her operational background in En Route Air Traffic, Safety Management and controller development continues to shape her approach to teaching, simulation and applied aviation research.