Dr. Robert Barrett

Biography

Dr. Robert Barrett has spent much of his life studying conflict behaviour and is the recipient of fifteen academic awards. His primary focus is on group dynamics, culture, strategy, and terrorism, with a particular interest in evolution and neuroscience as they pertain to contemporary war and society. Robert has a PhD from the Centre for Military, Security, and Strategic Studies (CMSS) and has a Canadian Defence Department sponsored post-doctorate in counterinsurgency strategy (CMSS).

Robert's experiences are truly diverse. He has traveled to rural Nigeria to interview recruiters and leaders of death squads on how they indoctrinate fighters, has helped build Canada’s first ever Patient Safety Officer program for hospitals, was on the committee that introduced the first Operating Room Checklist to Canada, was core faculty for the Canadian Patient Safety Institute’s incidence response team, and helped create new fatigue countermeasures for the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario.

Robert has lectured on intercultural negotiation for senior NATO officers deploying to Afghanistan (Toronto Staff College) and was lead on a unique program designed to investigate ways to mitigate astronaut crew conflict in space for future Mars missions. He has worked extensively on organizational conflict and team culture, presenting at aerospace medicine conferences (AsMA), Post-Graduate Medical Education events, and has consulted with the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada. Recently, Robert was lead researcher on two large provincial government projects measuring behavioural safety and culture across various industries, and his work on team culture won the University of Calgary’s annual award for medical innovation. Robert’s recent book is called HARDWIRED: How Our Instincts to Be Healthy Are Making Us Sick (published by Springer, 2020). 

Robert’s work on motivation and team dynamics is also supported by 13 years as an elite athlete, a Canada Games gold medalist, Ontario provincial champion, and 7 times competitor at the Canadian National Championships. Robert has worked extensively on human factors and the psychology of crew performance in aviation, and is a Boeing 777 Captain. He has appeared more than 50 times on national television and radio, and is a frequent guest speaker on terrorism, geopolitical conflict, leadership, and team culture.