Dr Laura Fruhen is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer of Applied Psychology at the School of Psychological Sciences. She received her PhD from the University of Aberdeen in the UK in 2012 and holds a master’s (Diplom) degree from the Justus-Liebig-Universität in Giessen, Germany. She has held various roles at the University of Western Australia since 2014.

Laura has been granted funding by government agencies via stipends and fellowships (e.g. German National Academic Foundation, Australian Government’s Department of Education), government bodies (Mental Health Commission of Western Australia), and industry bodies (e.g. European Agency for the Safety of Air Traffic Management, Shell, Monadelphous).

Laura's research has informed both government and industry practices. Of note, her research into FIFO worker mental health and wellbeing informed the first Code of Practice focussed on mental health at work in Australia.

She actively works with industry and governments to support translation of her research into practical tools and solutions. Laura's work has been translated in a number of workshops, white papers presentations and interviews targeted at industry.

In her organisational psychology research Laura investigates the topics of leadership, team dynamics, work design, culture, and attitudes at work. She links these concepts with workplace safety, mental health and wellbeing and behaviour. She has conducted her research in the energy sector, the aviation sector, healthcare, construction, and firefighting. Laura was one of the leading authors of the WA Government funded research into FIFO worker mental health and wellbeing.

Laura also conducts research on traffic psychology. She in particular focuses on car driver and cyclists interactions on the roads and the factors that shape these interactions. Within this research setting she is interested in attitudes and norm perceptions and their antecedents.

• Leadership is a language game (Pondy, 1975): I am currently developing new research on the topic of language in leadership. Language and communication have been recognised as a central pillar of leader influence, yet research into language is lacking. If you are interested in researching this topic with me, please get in touch.
• Built environment and car driver and cyclists interactions: Together with Vanessa Bowden I am developing research on the interplay of road layouts and driver attributes and how these two aspects shape car driver and cyclists interactions on the roads. Please reach out if you are interested in conducting research on this topic.