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Lemi Baruh (Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania, Annenberg School for Communication, 2007) is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Communication and Arts at the University of Queensland. He is the co-founder of the Social Interaction and Media Lab at Koç University, Istanbul. His research spans various topics, including the effects of social media on interpersonal attraction, surveillance, online security, privacy in online environments, and the role of media in shaping public opinion. His recent work also investigates misinformation and conspiracy theories in the context of health communication, with a particular focus on the COVID-19 pandemic and the influence of news and social media on public perceptions and behaviors related to health.

Dr Cassandra Chapman holds a PhD in the psychology of charitable giving (University of Queensland) and is now an Associate Professor of Marketing and ARC DECRA Fellow, specialised in donor psychology and fundraising.

Having come to academia with a background in nonprofit marketing, Cassandra’s research focuses on the social psychology of charitable giving, effective and ethical fundraising, and charity scandals. She uses diverse methods to understand when and why donors are more (or less) willing to give to particular causes and the implications such preferences have for how charities communicate.

Cassandra’s research has won national and international research awards, including the AFP Early Career Emerging Scholar Award (AFP, 2023), the Skystone Partners Prize for Research on Fundraising and Philanthropy (AFP, 2020), and the Gabriel G. Rudney Memorial Award for an Outstanding Dissertation in Nonprofit and Voluntary Action Research (ARNOVA, 2019). She has published over 35 articles in international journals, such as Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Psychology & Marketing, and the Journal of Business Ethics, and has served as Associate Editor of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.

Michael joined the Business School in 2019 after completing a PhD in Organisation and Management at UNSW Business School in 2016. Prior to this he served as a Commissioned Officer in the Australian Defence Force for 15 years and as a Director of a management consultancy until 2018.

During this period he gained extensive front-line to executive leadership experience across a diverse range of organisations and cultures. He has worked across a broad range of industries, including finance, mining, rail and government, and his consulting expertise encompasses organisation development and learning, talent management and leadership assessment and development.

I am a Research Fellow at the University of Queensland and an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne. My research examines how societal structures and economic inequalities influence psychological and behavioral outcomes, with a particular emphasis on social cohesion and tolerance of moral differences. My work investigates how economic inequality may impact social cooperation and contribute to polarization, aiming to identify ways to foster tolerance within pluralistic societies. My approach is interdisciplinary, drawing from social, developmental, political, and moral psychology, as well as economics. Collaborating with colleagues worldwide, I apply a range of methods including experimental and correlational studies, analysis of large-scale multinational data, social media data, qualitative research, and social simulation studies. This diverse methodology enables a comprehensive understanding of human behavior and societal dynamics.

I am a sociologist currently working as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR) at the University of Queensland. I hold a PhD in Sociology from the Australian National University (ANU) and a master’s degree in social policy (research) from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). With extensive experience spanning over a decade, one of my specialisations is based on designing and executing qualitative and quantitative research projects across public and private sectors. My expertise lies in evaluating the effectiveness of social policies through data analysis and critical assessment, aiming to inform evidence-based recommendations for improving social programs and interventions. My doctoral thesis used quantitative methods and secondary data to analyse the subjective perceptions of inequality and its effects on today’s society. My research focuses on subjective perceptions of inequality and its societal implications, social classes, social stratification, and social mobility.

Suri Li is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Institute for Social Science Research, University of Queensland and the Centre of Excellence for Children & Families over the Life Course. Her current work centres on gender inequality and family dynamic across life course and explores the interplay of gender relations in the public and private spheres.

Prior to her current position, she holds a BSc and MSc in Finance, as well as an MA in Public Policy from the University of Edinburgh, the UK and a PhD in Sociology at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. Her DPhil Thesis focus on the relationship between household resources and child wellbeing in Ireland, Australia and the UK using longitudinal data from birth cohort studies.

Fiona is a Lecturer in Clinical Psychology with research interests in grief & loss, trauma emtion regulation and anxiety. Her work is mechanism focussed. She applies experimental and longitudinal methods including experience sampling to better understand the pyschological processes that contribute to resilence and development of psychopathology. Her work is also focussed on improving supports for those struggling with grief and trauma.

Fiona completed her Master of Psychology(Clnical) and PhD at UNSW and undertook a postdoctoral fellowship in the Loss, Trauma and Emotion Lab at Teachers College, Columbia University. She also has experience working as a clinician in public health and private practice.

Kiara is a social psychology researcher at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health at The University of Queensland as a research fellow. She is currently focused on strengths based approaches to sexual health and relationships and sexuality education for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. She received her doctorate from the University of Queensland in July 2021 for her PhD research project, The role of idealising jealousy in inhibiting the identification of and response to non-physical intimate partner violence: a schema theory approach. She has since completed a post-doctoral research fellowship on sexual consent in Australia.

Kiara has a passion for applying quality research techniques to identify practical strategies for real improvements across a range of social issues. Kiara is experienced in quantitative and qualitative research methods, and holds a strong commitment to research transparency, methodological rigour, and collaborative research as the foundation of positive social change. She is also dedicated to research communication and has previously written and edited a blog page for social change research.

Professor Gemma Sharp Gemma leads the Body Image & Eating Disorders Research Program at the School of Psychology at The University of Queensland. She also holds an adjunct position at Monash University where she and her research program were based from 2018 to 2024.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology (University of Adelaide), Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Microbiology and Immunology (University of Adelaide), a Masters degree in Oncology (University of Cambridge), a Diploma in Languages in Japanese (University of Adelaide), a Graduate Diploma in Psychology (University of Adelaide), a Bachelor of Behavioural Sciences Honours degree in Psychology (Flinders University) and a PhD in Clinical Psychology (Flinders University). Her research career in both Medical Science and Mental Health has seen her study and work in Australia, Japan and the UK.

Professor Sharp was awarded a PhD from Flinders University in Adelaide in 2017 which investigated the psychological predictors and outcomes of female genital body image concerns and cosmetic genital surgery. She worked as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate and Academic at Curtin University in Perth and extended this genital self-image research to other genders. She continues this genital self-image research program across the gender spectrum.

Professor Sharp then commenced an NHMRC Early Career Research Fellowship at Monash University (2018-2022) and more recently an NHMRC Emerging Leadership 2 Fellowship at Monash University (2023-2024) and The University of Queensland (2024-2027). See full grant/project listing here.

Professor Sharp and the program she heads investigate the factors leading to body image concerns, eating disorders and related issues and novel therapeutic interventions to address these concerns, including digital technologies such as chatbots like JEM(TM) and mobile apps. She has led collaborative technical and commercial projects with national eating disorder support organisations across the globe (e.g., JEM(TM) in North America with NEDIC). She also led the development of a world-first online educational resource to explain the intersection of eating disorders and menopause.

Professor Sharp is the lead of the international Consortium for Research in Eating Disorders (CoRe-ED) which brings together all key voices in eating disorder and related research on a global scale to improve eating disorder and related care. The consortium was officially launched on 25th September 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. The University of Queensland is a key partner of CoRe-ED. Everyone is welcome to join CoRe-ED free of charge by registering here to access to the already extensive network and resources on offer.

Professor Sharp's research has received extensive coverage on mainstream media and she makes very regular appearances on television, radio and in print. She was named one of ABC Radio National's Top 5 Under 40 Scientists and also was invited to deliver a TED talk in Brisbane. See full media listing here.

Professor Sharp has already received more than 80 award/honours in her tertiary career (see full listing here). Most recently, she won the Australian Psychological Society's College of Clinical Psychologists Ian M Campbell Memorial Prize (2024), Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS) Mentee Honour (2024), an international finalist for the Robert Greenblatt International Menopause Society Award (2024), Australian Psychological Society Media Award for Public Engagement with Psychological Science (2023), Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Paul Bourke Award for Early Career Research (2022), Rising Star for the Association for Psychological Science (2021), two time national finalist for the Bupa Health Foundation Emerging Researcher Award (2021, 2019), Flinders Universiry Early Career Alumni Awardee (2021), one of The Educator's Rising Stars (2020), Australian Psychological Society Early Career Researcher Awardee (2020), and a national finalist for a Eureka Prize (2020).

In addition, Professor Sharp is a registered clinical psychologist and has had clinical experience in the public and private sectors in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and now Brisbane. She has and continues to lead her own private practice since 2019. She is a Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician (CEDC) and a Board Approved Supervisor with the Psychology Board of Australia.

Professor Sharp and her research played key roles in the the National and Victorian State Eating Disorder strategies (2023/2024). Furthermore, she was the lead expert for the national clinical practice guidelines for the psychological evaluation of patients undergoing cosmetic procedures in 2018 and 2023. She launched a health professional online short course addressing psychological assessments for cosmetic patients in 2024. Please email Professor Sharp for more details about this course.

Dr David Smerdon is a Senior Lecturer (equivalent to Assistant Professor) in the School of Economics. He primarily works in behavioral and development economics. His research involves theory and modelling, experiments in the lab and field, and microeconometric analysis in order to investigate topics at the intersection of these fields.

David earned his PhD from the Tinbergen Institute and the University of Amsterdam (UvA) as a General Sir John Monash scholar, and afterwards worked as a PODER fellow at Bocconi University in Milan. His research often involves collaboration with non-academic partners, ranging from aid agencies and NGOs like US AID and Save the Children, to tech companies like Chess.com.

Prior to his academic career, David spent three years working for the Australian Department of Treasury as a policy analyst. David is also a chess Grandmaster and has represented Australia at seven chess Olympiads. Combining his passions, David occasionally conducts niche research in chess economics on topics such as gender inequality, cheating, and the life cycle of cognitive performance, supported by organisations such as the World Chess Federation (FIDE) and Chessable.

An experienced researcher with a multi-disciplinary training background, Ning is a Research Fellow in the Education and Disadvantage group at ISSR. Ning has worked on the Student Engagement Research and Analysis Project for the New South Wales Department of Education, as well as a number of other projects funded by the Australian Department of Education, Brisbane Catholic Education, Queensland Department of Education, and NGOs.

Ning has strong expertise in delivering multi-year collaborative research projects, including complex mix-method evaluation projects (e.g., the national evaluation of the Australian Government’s Paid Parental Leave scheme and a follow-up ARC Linkage Project, funded by the Department of Social Services).

Ning has also significantly contributed to a number of projects funded though various research grant schemes, utilising data from LSIC, LSAC, LSAY and HILDA to investigate the impacts of a range of factors (e.g., individual, family, school and community) on disadvantaged students’ outcomes, such as socio-emotional wellbeing, academic achievement, university participation and graduate labour market outcomes.

Ning has specialist expertise in literature review, constructing theoretical framework to guide data analyses, data preparation, management, screening and analysis, which she has applied to great effect in these projects. Ning has a track record of successfully delivering accessible and policy informing documentation. She also specialises in longitudinal data analysis, and has published extensively on school climate, student engagement, and long-term education and labour market outcomes for students from equity groups.

I am a Research Fellow in the Institute of Social Science Research at The University of Queensland.

My research interests coalesce around issues of social justice within organisations. I am particularly curious about how the way we perceive others informs our treatment of one and other in the workplace. I spend a lot of my time exploring this idea in the context of leadership. For example, collaborators and I have been working with industry professionals in Australia and North America to understand what organisational structures inhibit minority leaders' (e.g., women, racially diverse) progression and retention. We've also been investigating possible disrupters that may serve to improve minority leaders' chances of success in leadership roles.

I also spend a lot of time on applied research problems through partnering with industry to examine the effectiveness of practical initiatives or policy shifts. Recently, we've been working on understanding the supportive mechanisms that enhance boat safety in Northern Australia, while another partnership has focused on understanding how novel bail support programs can be enhanced to support young people to meet their youth justice orders.

I received my BPsycSc and MPsyOrg from UQ Psychology before completing a PhD in Leadership / Organisational Behaviour at UQ Business School. In 2019 I moved to The University of Illinois for a postdoctoral fellowship before joining the Institute of Social Science Research in 2021.

I work with collaborators in Australia and North America, and I have the good fortune of supporting several RHD candidates at present.