Dr. Joseph Pellettiere is the FAA’s Chief Scientist and Technical Advisor (CSTA) for Crash Dynamics. He supports the development of occupant injury criteria for aerospace systems and the application of such criteria to the certification of aircraft structure, seats, and cabin interiors for all passengers. These applications specifically consider the needs of  vulnerable populations, including children and individuals with disabilities. Pellettiere is actively engaged in developing processes and procedures to apply analytical methods to the certification process, supporting certification by analysis. He leads the review of seat certification issues to improve their efficiency and harmonization across regulatory agencies. Pellettiere supports the safety of certification programs for transport aircraft, rotorcraft, small airplanes, Advanced Air Mobility, light sport aircraft, and small unmanned aircraft systems.

Pellettiere spent over 17 years working for the U.S. Air Force as a part of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in the Human Effectiveness directorate. While working for AFRL, he led many research programs, including the effects of helmet supported mass, the development of tensile neck injury criteria, and the development of modeling and simulation tools for crash safety. He supported several accident investigation boards and large acquisition programs such as the Joint Strike Fighter. Pellettiere was the Air Force focal point for many collaborative programs, including the original Seat Certification by Analysis, the Joint Cockpit Airbag System, and the Full Spectrum Crashworthiness for rotorcraft. Pellettiere is a level III Systems Engineer and a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Florida. He holds patents for seat cushion technology that promotes safety during impacts. 

Pellettiere earned his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia.