Julie's research interests include: strengths-based case management in adolescence; prevention and intervention approaches; assessment of risk and protection in vulnerable youth; social and emotional well-being in adolescence; evidence-based resources for adolescent development; positive youth development; teacher well-being and innovative measures of emotional states of teachers and students in the classroom.
Dr Julie Bower is an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Education. She conducts applied research in secondary schools to understand the social and emotional processes that keep students at school and engaged in learning. Her work is based in a positive youth development framework, focusing on the strengths of adolescents at risk and working in close partnership with schools to assist these students to reach their potential. She is interested in developing real-time measures of emotion in a classroom setting, assessment of both risk and protection in vulnerable youth; prevention and intervention approaches; social and emotional well-being in adolescence; evidence-based resources for adolescent development; and school-wide approaches for social and emotional well-being of students and teachers.
Julie Bower has over 29 years experience in the education sector, 21 of those in educational research and more recently, over the past 12 years in the development of the Mindfields® Program, The CAT-RPM, the t* (Teacher Emotions App) and the Mindful Practice for Teachers Program. She is now an educational consultant in Emotional Health in Schools. Julie’s experience in the field of education encompasses the areas of research project management, development of evidence-based resources, social and emotional wellbeing, cognitive behavioural interventions and strengths-based strategies for teacher and student well-being.
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Associate Professor
School of Education
Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Availability:
Not available for supervision
Media expert
Dr Edwards is an Associate Professor in the School of Education where she is currently the Director of Research Innovation and Higher Degree Research. Her research spans education, psychology and medical education and her collaborators are national and international experts in these disciplines. Dr Edwards has an international reputation for contributing to understanding the link between anxiety, attention, and memory. Her work supports the notion that an inability to efficiently process information and maintain concentration, plays a critical role in the development and maintenance of emotional disorders.
Dr Edwards' latest work focusses on the translation of theory-driven, basic science into treatments for clinical problems, specifically for children and adolescents. For example, her research laboratory is currently conducting a series of studies investigating whether training the cognitive processes most vulnerable to anxiety and depression can in turn reduce emotional symptoms in children and adolescents. This work also seeks to understand the influence of cognitive training on academic achievement.
Dr Edwards completed a PhD and an honours degree in psychology (Bond University), and an undergraduate degree in education (Griffith University). For over two decades, she has worked as a primary classroom teacher, special education teacher, guidance counsellor, and psychologist. She has taught and supervised clinical, professional and research skills in education, psychology and medicine and worked in higher education in the United Kingdom and Australia. Dr Edwards joined The University of Queensland in 2020 to teach into the Master of Educational Studies (Guidance, Counselling and Careers).
Dr Sasha Lynn is a registered clinical psychologist and Honorary Research Fellow at The University of Queensland. She specialises in child and adolescent development, with a particular focus on social and emotional learning (SEL), mental health, and wellbeing in educational settings. Her work spans psychology, education, and neuroscience, with an emphasis on research that is both applied and translational.
Dr Lynn’s research investigates how wellbeing and mental health influence developmental and educational outcomes, particularly in relation to emotion regulation, peer relationships, and classroom engagement. She is committed to embedding SEL meaningfully into the curriculum through developmentally informed, evidence-based strategies. A core feature of her work is the co-design of interventions with educators and students, ensuring student voice and agency are central to program design and implementation.
She has a particular interest in the use of gamification frameworks to increase engagement with SEL and mental health content, and her research spans both digital and face-to-face modes of delivery. Her work also explores how compassion-focused therapeutic approaches can be adapted to educational contexts to enhance both student and teacher wellbeing, classroom climate, and relational safety.
Dr Lynn is affiliated with the UQ Learning Lab and is a member of the Compassionate Mind Research Group. She has been involved in a number of large-scale projects across school and clinical settings, and brings nearly 20 years of direct experience in school-based clinical and mental health roles to her academic work. This practitioner perspective ensures her research remains grounded in the realities of education systems and responsive to the needs of schools.
She has contributed to the development and evaluation of interventions such as KooLKIDS and Mindfields HS, which have demonstrated promising early outcomes and attracted commercial interest. Dr Lynn’s broader goal is to support educators, families, and students by creating practical, evidence-informed approaches that foster resilience, emotional literacy, and a positive foundation for lifelong learning.
