Amanda Taylor is the Senior Technical Specialist (STS) for Advanced Cabin Safety in the FAA’s Office of Senior Technical Experts (AIR-20). Ms. Taylor has over 20 years of experience in occupant protection as a researcher, investigator, and policy specialist. Her expertise spans the full lifecycle of aviation safety, from conducting crash testing for advanced seat and restraint systems to supporting NTSB accident investigations for a broad spectrum of aircraft, from unmanned drones to large transport jets.

Ms. Taylor supports certification projects and the application of consistent risk-based standards across all product types. Her work involves writing requirements for FAA research on advanced cabin interiors and collaborating with university and industry partners to promote standardization.

Over the course of her career, Ms. Taylor has contributed to cabin safety policy and accident investigation, writing guidance, issue papers, special conditions, and other key documents, and serving as a senior survival factors Investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). At the NTSB, Ms. Taylor led investigations into aircraft accidents of all scales, focusing on vehicle crashworthiness and occupant protection during accident sequences, as well as evacuation safety and emergency response. Earlier in her career, Ms. Taylor spent more than a decade as a research engineer for the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute’s (CAMI) Biodynamics Team, directing complex crash testing of everything from individual components to full-scale impacts. She also managed collaborative research initiatives with NASA, the U.S. military, and international civil aviation authorities.

Ms. Taylor earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Central Oklahoma and a master’s in engineering from Purdue University.