David Kieras is a Professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at the University of Michigan. He received a BA in Psychology from Rice University in 1969 and a PhD in Experimental Psychology from the University of Michigan in 1974. After a two-year R.K. Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Carnegie-Mellon, he joined the Psychology Department as Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona. In 1984, he moved to the University of Michigan where he also holds a joint appointment in the Department of Psychology.

His primary general research field is applied and theoretical cognitive psychology, with specific interests in human-computer interaction, cognitive simulation modeling, human performance, complex human learning, and natural language processing. His research has been supported by ONR, ARPA, NASA, IBM, and NYNEX Science and Technology. His research approach is to construct computational models for the cognitive processes involved in tasks that have practical importance, validate the models against empirical data, and prepare them for practical application.

His current research focuses on developing the theory, techniques, and tools for analyzing and evaluating usability in HCI, especially with the GLEAN tool for GOMS modeling, and on the EPIC advanced cognitive architecture for human performance modeling.