Situational Assessment as a Marker of Cognitive Skill Decay. The aim of this study is to test how differences in exposure to complex tasks change the capacity for situational assessment. Amongst drivers, pilots and electricity controllers, the capacity to assess and respond effectively to changes in the operational environment are critical in sustaining performance and ensuring the safety and security of the public. Establishing the nature of this relationship will enable, for the first time, ob ....Situational Assessment as a Marker of Cognitive Skill Decay. The aim of this study is to test how differences in exposure to complex tasks change the capacity for situational assessment. Amongst drivers, pilots and electricity controllers, the capacity to assess and respond effectively to changes in the operational environment are critical in sustaining performance and ensuring the safety and security of the public. Establishing the nature of this relationship will enable, for the first time, objective measures of cognitive skill decay. In evaluating cognitive skill decay more accurately, we will provide a cost-effective, easily administered tool, enabling practitioners to identify and address areas of development and providing data to anticipate when cognitive skill decay is most likely to occur.Read moreRead less
Intimidation and voice of research scientists. This project aims to identify factors regarding the incidence, severity and outcomes of the intimidation of scientists. Little is known about the nature or extent of intimidation of scientists or its impact on scientists, their voice or scientific progress. Using a major international survey and in-depth qualitative interviews, this project will identify interventions that can reduce the personal and social costs arising from the intimidation of sci ....Intimidation and voice of research scientists. This project aims to identify factors regarding the incidence, severity and outcomes of the intimidation of scientists. Little is known about the nature or extent of intimidation of scientists or its impact on scientists, their voice or scientific progress. Using a major international survey and in-depth qualitative interviews, this project will identify interventions that can reduce the personal and social costs arising from the intimidation of scientists and increase their voice. In addition, the project will improve the theoretical and conceptual understanding of the relationships between scientists, society and scientific progress, including by reconsidering the Kuhnian model of science.Read moreRead less
The Great Disruption of COVID-19: Re-imagining the work-family interface. This project aims to highlight new possibilities to re-imagine and reduce parents’ work-family conflicts. Covid-19 brought an unprecedented disruption to Australian parents' work-care routines, with different effects for women, and those working ‘at work’ versus at home. Using mixed-methods approaches and multiple Australian datasets collected pre- and post-pandemic, this unique project intends to identify families who are ....The Great Disruption of COVID-19: Re-imagining the work-family interface. This project aims to highlight new possibilities to re-imagine and reduce parents’ work-family conflicts. Covid-19 brought an unprecedented disruption to Australian parents' work-care routines, with different effects for women, and those working ‘at work’ versus at home. Using mixed-methods approaches and multiple Australian datasets collected pre- and post-pandemic, this unique project intends to identify families who are at risk of longer-term scarring to family wellbeing from work-care conflicts; and critical workplace supports which may prevent this. Together, this urgently-needed evidence contributes to family-friendly work for diverse parents, employers and policy, protecting social and economic participation for Australian parents.Read moreRead less
Redesigning workers’ compensation using participatory systems modelling. This project will use participatory system modelling techniques to develop and test new approaches to the design and delivery of workers' compensation in Australia. The project responds to the substantial evidence that Australia’s workers' compensation systems are failing to achieve their social and economic objectives. We will actively engage people with lived experience of work disability to co-design an alternative worke ....Redesigning workers’ compensation using participatory systems modelling. This project will use participatory system modelling techniques to develop and test new approaches to the design and delivery of workers' compensation in Australia. The project responds to the substantial evidence that Australia’s workers' compensation systems are failing to achieve their social and economic objectives. We will actively engage people with lived experience of work disability to co-design an alternative workers' compensation system. The outcomes of this system will be assessed using agent-based modelling, and compared to the current state. The study will provide a vision for an alternative approach to workers' compensation that supports the social and economic participation of Australians with work disability.
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Impact of cognitive task demands on the accumulation/dissipation of fatigue. Fatigue-related errors and accidents that occur at work cost the Australian economy $5.8 billion every year. Regulators and employers use mathematical models in special software to assess the fatigue risk associated with work schedules based on prior wake, time of day and recent sleep. Incredibly though, these models assume that the demands of your job have no influence on your level of fatigue, i.e., they do not differ ....Impact of cognitive task demands on the accumulation/dissipation of fatigue. Fatigue-related errors and accidents that occur at work cost the Australian economy $5.8 billion every year. Regulators and employers use mathematical models in special software to assess the fatigue risk associated with work schedules based on prior wake, time of day and recent sleep. Incredibly though, these models assume that the demands of your job have no influence on your level of fatigue, i.e., they do not differentiate between sitting quietly at work – and controlling air traffic, performing surgery or driving a truck. This project will improve the models by assessing how mental task demands affect fatigue. Models that are better able to predict fatigue will improve the health, safety and productivity of the Australian workforce.Read moreRead less
Beyond safety: Ethical practice involving children. This project aims to investigate the role of ethical practice in improving child safety. Focusing especially on those who are at greater risk of harm, the findings will contribute to ensuring Australia’s children are safe and treated with dignity and respect. Expected outcomes include better-targeted, child-informed policy and practice for organisations involved with children, and important knowledge for organisations seeking to optimise, promo ....Beyond safety: Ethical practice involving children. This project aims to investigate the role of ethical practice in improving child safety. Focusing especially on those who are at greater risk of harm, the findings will contribute to ensuring Australia’s children are safe and treated with dignity and respect. Expected outcomes include better-targeted, child-informed policy and practice for organisations involved with children, and important knowledge for organisations seeking to optimise, promote and protect children’s safety and wellbeingRead moreRead less
To use or not to use financial incentives for motivation and performance. For decades, compensation experts have advocated for the use of financial incentives to motivate work performance, yet organisations keep encountering performance issues caused by these incentives. Using agency, expectancy, and self-determination theory to inform a meta-analysis and a series of experiments, this research will help uncover the most important motivational mechanisms that explain how financial incentives infl ....To use or not to use financial incentives for motivation and performance. For decades, compensation experts have advocated for the use of financial incentives to motivate work performance, yet organisations keep encountering performance issues caused by these incentives. Using agency, expectancy, and self-determination theory to inform a meta-analysis and a series of experiments, this research will help uncover the most important motivational mechanisms that explain how financial incentives influence different types of performance. Given that compensation accounts for an important proportion of an organisation's operating expenses and that employee engagement is on the decline around the world, this research will provide a strong empirical basis to develop more effective compensation systems.Read moreRead less
Crashworthiness topology optimisation for light-weight battery compartments. This project uses computational modelling and optimisation methods to the design of battery compartments for electric vehicles. As the use of electric vehicles becomes more extensive, awareness of the consequences of catastrophic failure of high energy battery in a crash has increased. This project will develop novel design methodologies, using multi-disciplinary techniques for battery compartment structure. The methodo ....Crashworthiness topology optimisation for light-weight battery compartments. This project uses computational modelling and optimisation methods to the design of battery compartments for electric vehicles. As the use of electric vehicles becomes more extensive, awareness of the consequences of catastrophic failure of high energy battery in a crash has increased. This project will develop novel design methodologies, using multi-disciplinary techniques for battery compartment structure. The methodology will expand conventional crashworthiness design to the coupled mechanical-electrochemical-thermal problems. The proposed crashworthiness optimisation of battery compartment structure will enhance safety and reliability of electric vehicles, potentially benefiting consumers and manufacturers.Read moreRead less
Strengthening Health Workforce Migration to Australia and Canada. The project aims to define skilled migration trends in relation to the key fields (medicine, nursing and dentistry). Australia is one of very few countries with an explicit policy to import migrant health professionals. The project plans to assess if the goal of domestic self-sufficiency is likely to be met by 2025 and examine the risk of a ‘two tier’ health workforce developing (with conditionally registered migrants servicing pa ....Strengthening Health Workforce Migration to Australia and Canada. The project aims to define skilled migration trends in relation to the key fields (medicine, nursing and dentistry). Australia is one of very few countries with an explicit policy to import migrant health professionals. The project plans to assess if the goal of domestic self-sufficiency is likely to be met by 2025 and examine the risk of a ‘two tier’ health workforce developing (with conditionally registered migrants servicing patients in undersupplied sectors and sites). It then aims to propose changes to make the migration and health policy systems more effective and ethical in future compared to Canada (Australia’s key global competitor for skilled migrants), through evidence-based policy reform.Read moreRead less
Moral Injury and the Ethics of Military Conditioning . Military personnel undergo extensive conditioning in the name of combat effectiveness and resilience. The aim of this project is to determine whether any of the intended effects of this conditioning constitute "moral injuries", and to describe the ethical and policy implications if so. This will deepen our understanding of the ethics of military recruitment, training, and socialisation. The expected outcomes include a statement of the obliga ....Moral Injury and the Ethics of Military Conditioning . Military personnel undergo extensive conditioning in the name of combat effectiveness and resilience. The aim of this project is to determine whether any of the intended effects of this conditioning constitute "moral injuries", and to describe the ethical and policy implications if so. This will deepen our understanding of the ethics of military recruitment, training, and socialisation. The expected outcomes include a statement of the obligations owed to professional soldiers on account of the potential for moral injury in preparing them for deployment. This will enhance Australia’s reputation for being ethically proactive and for taking a holistic approach to the welfare of its military servicemen and women.Read moreRead less