Jay Otto, M.S.

Principal Scientist, Center for Health & Safety Culture

Jay Otto is a Principal Scientist and Center Co-Director of the Center for Health and Safety Culture (CHSC) in the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University.
Portrait of Jay Otto
Jay holds a M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Jay leads the research efforts for the Center, which consists of research design, survey design and interpretation, and quantitative analysis. Jay also serves as a trainer. Jay uses his experience working in communities to improve health and safety to make his research applied and valuable to practitioners in the field.

Jay previously worked at the community level as a manager of a prevention office within a local hospital and he has served on several local and state committees overseeing prevention efforts. He has engaged in numerous projects seeking to measure and grow positive safety cultures to address a variety of issues including substance abuse, violence, child maltreatment, and traffic safety. Jay seeks meaningful research projects that bring practical knowledge and efforts that truly make a difference in the well-being of the communities served. He is fascinated by human behavior, how systems influence behavior, and the role of culture. Jay is a contributing author in the book Traffic Safety Culture: Theory, Foundation, and Application and is a published author in multiple academic journals.

Jay works remotely from his home in Vermont. In his spare time, Jay enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with his family and friends.

Research Focus Affiliations

  • Safety Culture

Contact Information