Academy Fellow

Professor Paula Brough is an internationally recognised scholar in Occupational Health Psychology, whose pioneering research has significantly shaped the understanding of workplace wellbeing, occupational stress, and organisational practices across high-risk professions. Her current work on advancing understandings of workplace psychosocial safety has significant implications for Australian workers, employers, and regulators.

With several decades of academic contribution, Paula has authored more than 170 scholarly outputs, including 12 books and numerous articles in leading journals. Her work has consistently appeared in Q1-ranked publications and has been cited over 20,000 times, placing her in the top 2% of scientists globally. Her publications reflect a deep engagement with both theoretical development and practical application in occupational health psychology, organisational behaviour, and workplace wellbeing. She has supervised over 90 research thesis completions and current supervisions of PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. Paula has secured over $10 million in external competitive grants and commercial research funding.  

Paula’s research has had profound real-world impact, particularly in high-stress occupations such as policing, emergency services, healthcare, and education. Her officer stress/

wellbeing studies with the Queensland Police Service have led to improved training programs and leadership development, directly influencing policy and practice. Her work on work-life balance has redefined the field by pioneering the focus change from “work-family” to “work-life,” thereby broadening inclusivity and access to supportive workplace policies for numerous diverse employee cohorts. 

In her current role, as Director of the Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing (WOW) at Griffith University, Paula has demonstrated exceptional leadership. Under her guidance, the research centre has tripled its membership base, significantly expanded disciplinary diversity, and quadupled its external income, all while maintaining a high research quality. She has introduced strategic initiatives to enhance early career researcher development, industry engagement, and grant competitiveness, positioning WOW as a national leader in workplace research.

Her research leadership is further recognised through prestigious appointments, including to the ARC College of Experts (2023-2027). Paula is internationally recognised as a subject-matter expert. Her scholarly excellence combined with integrity and practical skills have attracted the attention of top-quality academic journals in the field for which she has been appointed to editorial roles with three international journals: Work & Stress, Stress & Health, and International Journal of Stress Management. Her reputation is evident through international fellowships. She was awarded Fellow of the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology (2020), Fellow of the Asia-Pacific Academy for Psychosocial Factors at Work (2018), and membership of the Society for Organisational Behaviour Australia (2025) in recognition of her career contribution to Occupational Health Psychology.

Professor of Organisational Psychology

Fellow of the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology

Fellow of the Asia Pacific Academy for Psychosocial Factors at Work

Member of the Society for Organisational Behaviour Australia

Associate Editor of Work & Stress,

Deputy Editor of Stress & Health,

Editorial Board member of International Journal of Stress Management.

Brough, P., & Kinman, G. (2024). (Editors). Wellbeing at work in a turbulent era. UK, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.

Brough, P., et al. (2026). AI adoption, adaptation, and workforce sustainability in medical imaging: A systematic review and conceptual framework. JMIR AI.

Akbari, J., Brough, P. & Chan, C. (2026). Uncovering pathways to occupational health and safety (OHS): Presenteeism and psychosocial safety climate in the JD–R–OHS model. Stress and Health.

Raper, M., Brough, P., & Biggs, A. (2025). Threats, challenges, hindrances, and future-oriented coping: A daily diary study of the occupational stress process. International Journal of Stress Management, 32(3), 239-255.

Burgess, M.G., Brough, P., Biggs, A., & Hawkes, A.J. (2020). Why interventions fail: A systematic review of Occupational Health Psychology interventions. International Journal of Stress Management, 27(2), 195–207.