Our people

Professor Ross Gordon

Centre Director

Ross is an interdisciplinary behaviour and social change activist with degree qualifications in public policy, politics and history, and marketing. His work focuses on social issues and behaviour and social change, through a critical, reflexive and multi-perspective lens.  

Centre members

Dr Amir Armanious

Amir Armanio is an experienced educator, researcher, and consultant with nearly two decades of academic and professional experience. His research spans financial literacy, behavioural finance, superannuation, FinTech, sustainable finance, and entrepreneurship, with a strong focus on how financial systems and innovations can support sustainability, equity, and long‑term value creation.

Lindsay Asquith

Lindsay is a social and service designer and vernacular architect whose work focuses on improving the life chances of marginalised and vulnerable communities. Her work includes reframing damage in social housing, designing interventions to reduce violence and aggression in hospital emergency departments, and delivering complex problem‑solving workshops for government, service providers, and community organisations.

Associate Professor Adrian Camilleri

Adrian uses experimental and survey research methods to understand, explain, and predict the cognitive processes underlying judgment and decision-making, and the application of this knowledge to policy, managerial, and consumption contexts. In one recent project, Adrian has attempted to understand how people can make better big life decisions that produce wellbeing over the long term. 

Dr Kaye Chan

Kaye's research focuses on the use of data analysis to address issues faced in online media and advertising, and how marketing communications can be used to influence and change behaviour. Kaye is proficient in using multiple methods of analysis and data collection, including surveys, experiments, and large panel databases.

Associate Professor Vanessa Chan

Vanessa is a contemporary public sector leader, educator, and executive management consultant. She has a strong track record in guiding large, diverse, and complex organisations through transformation, strategy development, cultural change, and governance reform. She is a lecturer and advisor in local government and public sector management, drawing on extensive expertise in strategy, organisational development, community engagement, regional development, not‑for‑profit support, and First Nations entrepreneurship.

Jaime Comber

Jaime Comber is a behavioural scientist and social psychologist. She specialises in understanding how people make decisions about energy use, sustainability, and emerging technologies such as electric vehicles and Vehicle‑to‑Grid (V2G) systems. Her work focuses on uncovering the psychological and behavioural drivers of energy‑related decisions and designing interventions that support more sustainable choices.

Dr Saoirse Connor Desai

Saoirse Connor Desai is a cognitive psychologist and Lecturer in Psychology. Her research focuses on belief formation and belief change, particularly in complex digital and social information environments. Her work draws on cognitive and social psychological theory to investigate how features of information environments - such as repetition, consensus cues, and source credibility - influence judgement and decision‑making. Her research has strong applied relevance, especially in health misinformation, public communication, and understanding the limits of debunking.

Professor Simon Darcy

Simon is a leading scholar in inclusive organisational practice, with a long‑standing commitment to ensuring that all people, particularly those living with disabilities, can fully participate in community life. Simon’s work spans transport, tourism, employment, entrepreneurship, sport, events, volunteering, social services, and the built environment. His research is characterised by a strong evidence‑based approach that informs practice across business, government, and the not‑for‑profit sector.

Dr Kirtika Deo

Kirtika is a marketing academic whose research focuses on the intersection of climate change, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), green energy, and marketing practice - with a particular emphasis on corporate “washing” activities and their implications for consumer trust and social good. Her work examines how marketing can both support and undermine sustainability transitions, and how consumers engage with climate‑related messaging across digital platforms.

Dr Kumi De Silva

Kumi is a diversity, equity, and inclusion specialist whose career spans immunology, infectious disease research, and gender equity leadership in the higher education sector. Her work extends beyond gender to encompass broader dimensions of intersectionality, cultural diversity, and belonging. Her research interests focus on understanding gender‑based motivations, and barriers, that shape engagement with equity initiatives.

Dr Rebecca Dong

Rebecca’s research is dedicated to creating sustainable, responsible, and psychologically safe workplaces. Her work focuses on the micro‑foundations of organisations - the psychological and behavioural building blocks that shape how people lead, collaborate, and thrive. Rebecca’s research explores motivation, emotion, knowledge sharing, psychological safety, and the mental health and wellbeing of employees, leaders, and decision‑makers.

Associate Professor Scott Dwyer

Scott is an energy innovation specialist who leads transdisciplinary research across Europe and Australia. His work focuses on the opportunities and challenges emerging from the transition to customer‑centric energy systems, including consumer energy resources, new business models, socio‑technical transitions, and sustainability. His expertise spans solar, battery storage, microgrids, fuel cells, hydrogen, and electric vehicles, with a strong emphasis on real‑world trials, system integration, and community resilience.

Dr Theresa Harada

Theresa is a human geographer and experienced ethnographer. Her work focuses on projects that contribute to social good, with recent collaborations including work with government bodies, corporates, non profit organisations, and researchers from a variety of disciplines including engineering, neuro science, social marketing and law. 

Dr Ave Le Blanc

Ave's research focuses on critical social marketing for health and social change. Her interests lie in determining precise, evidence-based applications of commercial marketing and advertising techniques to inform behaviour change initiatives, particularly in the Global South. 

Dr Celina McEwen

Celina has an interdisciplinary background with training and experience in social sciences, adult education and information science. She draws on theories, methods and processes from these disciplines to examine issues of inequality and social justice at work and in higher education. 

Dr Aristus Ochionuoha

Aristus is an emerging scholar in consumer behaviour and social marketing, bringing fresh insight, methodological rigour, and a strong commitment to community wellbeing. His explores how consumer beliefs shape responses to marketing activities - from social change campaigns to sustainable consumption, branding, and marketing communications.

Dr Vivian Pontes

Vivian Pontes has more than twenty years of combined industry and academic experience across marketing, customer service, and education. Her research focuses on consumer behaviour, with particular expertise in DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), racism, inequality, morality, emotions, and services marketing. Her work examines how identity, moral judgement, and emotional responses shape consumer experiences and interactions within service environments. 

Dr Sojen Pradhan

Sojen’s background spans computer science, innovation, entrepreneurship, and community development. His research sits at the intersection of digital entrepreneurship, social innovation, community development, social enterprises, and volunteering. His work includes designing and developing digital platforms, such as systems that match volunteers with volunteering organisations, and leading projects that support disadvantaged communities in areas such as education, tourism, and WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene).

Associate Professor John A Rees

John is an international relations scholar specialising in the roles of religion and belief in national and international policy. His work examines how religious actors, traditions, and institutions shape world politics, governance, and global policy processes. John’s research brings a distinctive analytical lens to multi‑actor political contexts, drawing on integrative theory, ideological analysis, and broad engagement with the major theoretical traditions of international relations.

Dr Sorush Sepher

Sorush adopts a sociological and cultural approach to the study of consumers and market relations. His research interests include exploring how power structures in the marketplace and beyond form the consumer subject, and how these power dynamics are experienced by consumers. 

Associate Professor Kiley Seymour

Kiley is an international expert in neuroscience, human behaviour, and the psychological impacts of emerging technologies. Her research investigates how technologies, including neurotechnology, AI, and surveillance systems, shape brain function, cognition, behaviour, and mental privacy, with a strong focus on ensuring that technological innovation benefits humanity.

Dr Sonika Singh

Sonika’s work sits at the intersection of social change, sustainable AI, digital literacy, consumer privacy, and digital transformation for public policy and community impact. Her research examines how digital platforms, data, and analytics can empower consumers, support non‑profit communication, and drive equitable and socially responsible outcomes. She leads projects on digital literacy, data privacy, and ethical AI, and has extensive experience working on digital transformation initiatives that advance social good.

Professor Cameron Tonkinwise

Cameron is an internationally recognised leader in design studies, transition design, and the role of design in shaping more sustainable, equitable futures. His work explores how design can drive systems-level change, influence social responsibility, and support communities navigating major societal transitions - from energy systems to ageing, climate‑related relocation, and degrowth.

Stella Vasiliadis

Stella Vasiliadis provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for initiatives that advance the university’s commitment to equity, social impact, and public purpose. Stella has delivered transformative projects in research, learning and teaching, governance, and student wellbeing. Her work is grounded in strategic planning, leadership, and large‑scale change management, underpinned by a collaborative and inclusive approach.

Professor David Waller

David’s research focuses on marketing communications, controversial advertising, non‑profit marketing, marketing education, and marketing ethics, with a strong interest in how advertising shapes public understanding and social issues. His recent work includes studies relating to Indigenous peoples, non‑profit marketing, and advertising involving people living with disabilities.

Professor Rachel Wilson

Rachel is an internationally recognised expert in education systems, research for social impact, and human development, with a long and diverse track record of social science research spanning education, work, health, management, leadership, and broader developmental systems. Her research has documented major educational trends, evaluated system architecture, and shaped public policy through evidence briefs and expert analysis. She has extensive expertise in assessment, measurement, evaluation, and the intentional design of research for real‑world impact.

Dr Lewis Whales

Lewis’ research spans leadership, volunteering, fundraising, and sport management. His work explores how leadership is relationally constructed, particularly within professional sport, and how social dynamics shape organisational behaviour, volunteer engagement, and not‑for‑profit performance. His research spans relational leadership in professional sport, and broadly extends into governance, accounting, precarious employment, sustainability, and innovation.

Dr Daniel White

Daniel’s research examines how behaviour emerges and adapts across biological, social, cultural, and technological contexts, integrating insights from behavioural science, comparative psychology, and educational research. His work spans several interconnected domains, including behavioural and comparative psychology, personality and social dynamics, sustainability and cultural psychology, and digital and educational behaviour. He also investigates how learners integrate knowledge and ways of thinking across disciplinary boundaries to support transdisciplinary and STEM education.

Associate Professor Natalina Zlatevska

Natalina's research primarily focuses on health promotion, particularly in the areas of food access, healthy food consumption, and sustainability. With over 15 years of experience in the field, she has provided expertise to organizations like the Health Food Partnership Community of Interest and has contributed insights on important public health issues such as obesity and nutrition labelling.   

Centre PhD and postgraduate candidates

Rao Natasha Ali

Centre PhD Candidate

Rao Natasha’s research explores the role of misinformation in shaping consumer perceptions and decision‑making in electric vehicle (EV) adoption. Her work critically examines how widely used adoption frameworks - including the Diffusion of Innovation, Technology Acceptance Model, Theory of Planned Behaviour, Theory of Reasoned Action, and Consumer Perceived Value - are fundamentally shaped by information dynamics. Her research investigates how misinformation can distort perceived risks and benefits, erode trust, and slow the uptake of clean technologies.

Giles Gunesekera

Centre PhD Candidate

Giles’ research focuses on affordable housing for marginalised communities, with a particular emphasis on scalable, community‑led models that support Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, migrant and refugee women, single mothers, essential workers, and others experiencing housing insecurity. His work examines how impact investing, blended capital, and culturally safe approaches can address structural inequities by positioning sustainable housing as justice infrastructure.

Sitti Salam

Centre Postgraduate Candidate

Sitti’s professional background spans behavioural marketing, policy‑relevant research, and international project management, with experience authoring whitepapers and industry reports that have informed policy discussions across Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). She has applied behavioural insights in real‑world contexts including mental health technology, financial decision‑making, and consumer markets, integrating perspectives from marketing and behavioural economics.

Affiliate members

Dr Abigail Foluké Badejo

Queensland University of Technology

Dr Abigail Foluké Badejo is an award-winning Behaviour Change Researcher driven by her core values of Social Justice, Dignity and Equity as well a passion for complex problem-solving for transformative social impact.

Dr Nadia Zainuddin

University of Wollongong

Dr Nadia Zainuddin is a behaviour and social change researcher specialising in how marketing can drive positive social and behavioural outcomes. Her work centres on understanding the lived experiences of marginalised and vulnerable populations – including women, older adults, people with disabilities, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities, and those in insecure work – to inform policies, programmes, and interventions that enhance wellbeing.