Explore research partnership opportunities with the Future of Work Institute Partner with us Explore research partnership opportunities with the Future of Work Institute Partner with the Future of Work Institute Partnering with the Future Work Institute connects you with leading organisational psychology researchers who can help tackle your organisation’s most pressing challenges. Our research has helped organisations navigate complex workplace challenges, implement evidence-based solutions and achieve measurable impact across sectors. We provide opportunities for engagement and partnership at all points of the impact cycle Challenge framing Involves opportunities for discussion and planning to identify important future issues and establish the institute’s priority directions Collaborative projects The engine room where applied research is conducted across multiple themes Application and dissemination The production of practical resources including online tools, training programs and policy guidelines Evaluation Involves assessing effectiveness and building an evidence base for effective practices We have helped major organisations solve the following challenges: Equipping the mining industry with evidence-based recommendations into creating positive cultural change Applying work design interventions to address psychosocial risks within the healthcare and social assistance industry Working with organisations to understand their employees’ perception of their wellbeing and engagement Enhancing human capabilities and optimise overall system performance between humans and unmanned autonomous vehicles Investigating responsible and effective use of generative AI technologies in the workplace See our list of partners Our impact cycle Interested in partnering with us? Contact us for more information

We welcome PhD candidates who are passionate about improving work and contributing to healthier, more productive workforces. Study with us Browse current opportunities and find out why FOWI is the perfect place for a PhD. Is a PhD the right next step for me? Are you excited by the idea of conducting original research that could influence how millions of people experience work? Do you thrive on deep, sustained investigation into complex workplace problems? If you are intellectually curious, passionate about addressing complex workplace challenges, and eager to make a meaningful impact through research, pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) may be the ideal next step. At the Future of Work Institute (FOWI), we welcome candidates who are passionate about improving work and contributing to healthier, more productive workforces. What support and funding options are available? Eligible candidates may receive a Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship, funded by the Australian Government. Each scholarship includes: Tax-free living stipend Tuition fee offset Additional allowances for research expenses In addition to financial support, you will benefit from a rich research experience, including: Opportunities to collaborate on industry-funded projects that shape real-world policy and practice Individualised supervision and mentoring from internationally recognised researchers A collaborative, inclusive environment with opportunities for personal and professional growth Publication and writing support to help you build a strong academic profile Access to conferences and networking opportunities to connect with global experts and peers Illustrative research projects (2026) PhD Project: Generative Artificial Intelligence Disruption in Talent Acquisition The project aims to unpack how generative artificial intelligence co-pilots will impact both the assessment of candidates seeking paid work and the evaluation of incumbents’ job performance. Supervisor: Professor Patrick Dunlop PhD Project: Motivational Assumptions of Leaders The project involves a comprehensive business school curriculum assessment, following the development of business school students’ motivational assumptions, developing a valid psychometric assessment of motivational assumptions, and testing different methods to change motivational assumptions. Supervisor: Professor Marylene Gagne PhD Project: Motivational Architecture This project involves developing and validating organisational design assessments across a variety of organisations and assess their influence on (1) manager’s leadership styles, and (2) employee motivation, performance, and well-being. Supervisor: Professor Marylene Gagne PhD Project: Modelling Human-Automation Team Decision Making This project addresses a major gap in our understanding of human-automation interaction, with direct implications for safety, productivity, and technology design in domains like aviation, defence and health care. By advancing theory and translating it to applied contexts, this project offers a rare bridge between psychological science and critical workplace challenges. Supervisor: Dr Luke Strickland Expressions of Interest have now closed Download our prospectus to learn more about the PhD experience at FOWI, explore available research projects and find detailed information on Curtin University’s Higher Degree by Research (HDR) application process. Download Current PhD candidates Contact Natalya Desai Project title: Adapting to new technologies in multidisciplinary healthcare units Natalya is investigating the introduction of two new technologies: Remote Monitoring System, designed to improve the quality of healthcare by 24/7 monitoring of acute patients, and the Undiagnosed Diseases Program (UDP), designed to increase the diagnostic rate of rare diseases. Supervisors: Professor Mark Griffin, Professor Marylene Gagne and Dr Georgia Hay Contact Eyüp İlker Camgöz Project title: Want more Leaders? Think Enriched Work Design Ilker is investigating whether enrichment of one's work design (which basically means the "awesomeness level" of one's work in terms of psychological factors) affects one's aspirations to become a leader (i.e.., leadership motivation, intentions and actual emergence), which may help us tackle the leadership shortage. Supervisors: Professor Sharon Parker, Dr Florian Klonek and Dr Anu Jolly. Contact Annika Mertens Project title: The Role of Work Design in the Technology Implementation Process in Healthcare In collaboration with Perth Children’s Hospital and Fiona Stanley Hospital, Annika is investigating how a new technology introduced at work changes existing work design and how existing work design impacts the technology implementation process. Supervisors: Professor Sharon Parker, Dr Madison Kho and Dr Gareth Baynam. Contact Rachel Xia Project title: The social class effect on employee selection Rachel's thesis aims to investigate how job candidates' social class signals influence recruiters' hiring evaluation and decisions, with the ultimate goal of helping organisations develop effective practices to mitigate unintentional discrimination and improve hiring quality. Supervisors: Professor Patrick Dunlop, Professor Amy Tian and Associate Professor Serena Wee. Contact Shannon Rowley Project title: Employee Recruitment Messaging, Anticipated Universal Needs Satisfaction, Value Congruence, and Individual Characteristics Shannon is investigating if employee recruitment activities, including information provided on career websites and job advertisements impacts jobseeker attraction and pursuit intentions through a motivation and fit perception lens. Supervisors: Professor Patrick Dunlop and Professor Marylene Gagne. Contact Yijing Liao Project title: Understanding how Generative AI Tools Influence Task Performance: The Role of Skill Level and Human Learning Yijing's research employs a range of experimental interventions to explore how Generative AI tools can impact workers learning or 'skill levelling'. Supervisors: Professor Sharon Parker, Dr Claire Mason and Professor Eva Kyndt. Contact Guofan Li Project title: Will AI Hire Me? - How and when AI Decisions Affect Applicant's Psychological Mechanisms, Reactions, and Intentions Guofan is exploring how AI decisions affect workers' psychological mechanisms, reactions, and intentions, as well as providing intervention measures to alleviate workers' negative reactions. Supervisors: Professor Sharon Parker, Dr Fangfang Zhang, and Professor Patrick Dunlop. Contact Wanghuan Lin Project title: A Unified Cognitive Model for Understanding Human Operators' use Automated Advice Wanghaun is using computational models to explore the affects of automation on human learning and decision-making, her research will examine if an over-reliance and dependance on information aids can influence cognitive processes, and whether key task-related factors such as workload and time pressure are impacted. Supervisors: Dr Luke Strickland and Professor Mark Griffin. What our students say "Professor Gagne is a walking example of a need-supportive and committed leader who brings out the best in people." - Dan Agate, PhD Candidate from the United States Learn about Dan's story PhD Alumni Dan Agate Project title: The Communication Dynamics Behind Team Motivation Emergence Completion year: 2025 Supervisors: John Curtin Distinguished Professor Marylène Gagné, Dr Florian Klonek, and Professor Thomas O'Neill Eva Zellman Project title: The role of leadership in managing an ageing and age-diverse workforce Completion year: 2024 Supervisors: Associate Professor Daniela Andrei and John Curtin Distinguished Professor Sharon Parker Hayley Moore Thesis title: I Can't Get No (Need) Satisfaction: Applying Basic Psychological Needs Theory to Foster Human Connection and Improved Applicant Reactions to Asynchronous Video Interviews Completion year: 2023 Supervisors: Professor Patrick Dunlop, John Curtin Distinguished Professor Marylène Gagné, Dr Djurre Holtrop Lucinda Iles Thesis title: An Investigation into the Organisational Challenges Associated with An Ageing and Age Diverse Workforce Completion year: 2023 Supervisors: Associate Professor Daniela Andrei and John Curtin Distinguished Professor Sharon Parker Notable achievements: Hal Kendig Prize for Best ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR) PhD Thesis 2023 Cheryl Sykes Thesis title: Thinking Beyond 'Sticks' in Australian Employment Services: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective Completion year: 2022 Supervisors: John Curtin Distinguished Professor Marylène Gagné and Professor John Phillimore Cheryl Yam Thesis title: Examining the Curvilinear Effects of Autonomy at Work Completion year: 2022 Supervisors: John Curtin Distinguished Professor Sharon Parker and Dr Laura Fruhen Notable achievements: Best paper in the Journal of Organisational Behaviour (2019) Belinda Cham Thesis title: Endurance in Extreme Work Environments Completion year: 2021 Supervisors: John Curtin Distinguished Professor Mark Griffin, Associate Professor Daniela Andrei, Dr Micah Kate Wilson, Dr Sam Huf Notable achievements: Eureka Prize Finalist (2021) Bin Wang Thesis title: Thrive in a Digital Age: Understanding ICT-enabled Work Experiences through the Lens of Work Design Completion year: 2020 Supervisors: John Curtin Distinguished Professor Sharon Parker and Dr Yukun Liu Notable achievements: Recipient of the Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad Fangfang Zhang Thesis title: Reorienting Job Crafting Research: Theoretical Clarification and Novel Investigations into Demands Crafting Completion year: 2020 Supervisors: John Curtin Distinguished Professor Sharon Parker and Professor Marylène Gagné Notable achievements: Best paper in the Journal of Organisational Behaviour (2019) 10 reasons to do your PhD at FOWI Learn more Testimonials from our PhD Alumni "Knowing that the research I do has a real impact on people in society, is a really rewarding experience." - Dr Cheryl Yam, FOWI Research Fellow and PhD Alumni Learn about Cheryl's story "One of the best aspects of doing a PhD at FOWI is that I can do both of these things at the same time. I receive great mentorship and guidance to develop my own research expertise, but I also get to conduct research that is impactful, multidisciplinary and collaborative... This has made my PhD journey more meaningful, interesting and varied." - Dr Belinda Cham, FOWI Research Fellow and PhD Alumni Learn about Belinda's story "The Centre for Transformative Work Design is a place where Work Design is researched, understood and practiced. You can hardly ask for a better environment in which to learn and conduct research." - Jia-Xin Tay (Jay) Ready to begin your PhD journey? Submit your Expression of Interest by 18 August 2025. Download our prospectus to learn more about the PhD experience at FOWI, explore available research projects and find detailed information on Curtin University’s Higher Degree by Research (HDR) application process. Download

Our Partners Browse through our extensive list of government, industry and not-for-profit partners Research partners The Future of Work Institute collaborates with other research partners in order to fulfill its vision of helping people and organisations thrive in the digital age. Work Science Center CEPAR The ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR) produces world class research on population ageing. The Centre is a unique collaboration bringing together academia, government and industry to address one of the major social challenges of the twenty first century. CIAO Centre of Expertise Inclusive Organisations Research Partners Industry partners The Centre works with industry partners across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Corporate Consultancy Societies and Interest Groups Not-for-profit Government partners The Centre works with a diverse range of state and federal government departments across Australia. State and Federal Interested in partnering with us? Contact us for more information

Emergency Services Volunteer Experience Project Project members Project lead Jane Chong Project lead Professor Marylène Gagné Project lead Professor Patrick Dunlop Project lead Djurre Holtrop Overview Improving the experience of new volunteers Volunteers’ socialisation being one of their first experiences with the organisation is shown to significantly influence their engagement, motivation, and intentions to stay or withdraw from an organisation. Failure to socialise newcomers is known to lead to lower levels of commitment and premature departure from organisations, leading to an organisation not capitalising on their recruitment and training investments. Essentially, poor socialisation is financially and reputationally costly for an organisation. On the other hand, effective socialisation can lead to members feeling engaged, competent, and socially integrated with others in the organisation. The goal Therefore, it is important to optimise the socialisation process. DFES is partnering with Curtin University on research looking at improving the experience of new volunteers in the Volunteer Emergency Services. We are working to identify the most effective ways and biggest challenges to on-board and train new volunteers. Outcomes The purpose of this research is to develop tools, resources, and approaches that can help volunteer leaders improve the experience for new volunteers. With volunteers’ first hand input, we can identify important strategies to make sure future emergency service volunteers have a positive experience.

The Risk of Age Discrimination in Potential Appraisals of Employees Project members Project lead Giverny De Boeck Project member Nicky Dries Project member Prisca Brosi Overview The purpose of this research was to evidence the higher susceptibility of potential appraisals to age and gender bias in comparison to performance appraisals. To test our hypothesis empirically, we analysed two large archival datasets, one from a German chemical multinational and one from a Belgian finance company, using regression analyses and structural equation modelling. We also conducted a vignette experiment to replicate our findings, while keeping all other factors constant. Our results Showed that potential appraisals were biased against older employees who received systematically lower ratings than younger employees, and that this negative age effect was stronger for potential than for performance appraisals. Moreover, age also affected pay raises and promotions in the next year via potential ratings. Our experiment showed that the different scores of older and younger employees could not be attributed to differences in competence level, meaning that they reflected actual bias. For gender, effects were largely absent. In conclusion Our results suggest that potential appraisals entail a serious risk for age discrimination in organisations, because they structurally limit the career opportunities of older employees, creating a so-called ‘silver ceiling’. The collaboration Industry collaboration between researchers of the Centre for Transformative Work Design and two large companies: A chemical multinational corporation based in Germany, and an organisation active in the financial and insurance services industry in Belgium. Serves the mission of the Centre of Excellence for Population Ageing Research (CEPAR) and, specifically, the research stream on ‘Organisations and the Mature Workforce’ led by Prof. Sharon Parker which aims to deliver solutions to one of the major economic and social challenges of the 21st century. Jointly funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) as well as the Flemish Research Council (Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek - FWO). Industry outcomes Evidence backed by data Provide evidence for and identify actual sources of bias in organisations using statistical analyses to help employers decide where to target the investment of their resources. Build on theoretical knowledge Advise organisations on how to tackle bias (i.e., using a contextualised- rather than a competency-based approach to prevent age bias when identifying employee potential) Solution orientated Articulate suggestions for organisations and governments about how they can better manage demographic changes in the future. Promote fairness Develop fair appraisal procedures in organisations’ human resource management to break the ‘silver ceiling’ and keep older employees motivated to work longer.

Recruitment Roadmap Achieving Clarity, Diversity, and Support for Emergency Volunteers Project members Project lead Professor Patrick Dunlop Project lead Professor Marylène Gagné Project lead Djurre Holtrop Project member Hawa Muhummad Farid Project member Darja Kragt Project member Liz Pritchard Project member Aleksandra Luksyte Overview The Future of Work Institute (FOWI) has partnered with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) to deliver organisational resources that work to improve recruitment and retention practices of emergency service volunteers. The research was undertaken through a combination of questionnaires and interviews with volunteers and stakeholders, focused on understanding the recruitment, management, and retention activities that volunteers undertake. Project aim Recruiting and retaining volunteers is becoming an increasingly important issue that is being addressed head-on by emergency services organisations across Australia. This partnership empowers volunteer managers located in Brigades, Groups, and Units (BGUs) to effectively manage the recruitment and retention cycle of volunteers. The project has delivered resources that support the development of role descriptions and localised strategies that drive the effective recruitment, onboarding, and management of volunteers. The suite of resources provides a mechanism to recruit a wider diversity of volunteers who can now find a range of attractive operational and non-operational roles within the volunteer emergency services. Furthermore, the resources provide guidance to volunteer managers on how they can provide needed support to ensure volunteer longevity within their BGUs. Resources developed from our research were launched in Waroona with over 50 volunteer leaders in June 2018, followed by a second release of resources at the Western Australian Fire and Emergency Services (WAFES) conference in September 2019. A final resource on succession planning is currently in development for release in late 2020. Industry outcomes The onboarding and management resource Well-received at the Waroona launch and were praised as being “practical” resources that volunteer managers could use. Creating well-defined role descriptions The methods have been applied in recruitment and role advertisements that are currently being promoted on the revamped DFES Recruitment Website. Consolidated resources We created a training tool called “The Volunteer Recruitment Roadmap”, which has been positively and actively received by emergency services volunteers throughout Western Australia. Key findings from the recruitment resources Have contributed to the widely successful state-wide recruitment campaign, ‘Get Behind the Front Line’, that has generated interest into support and non-operational roles advertised within the emergency services.

L.E.A.D model - Safety Leadership Project team Project lead Professor Mark Griffin Project member Tristan Casey Integrating psychology and systems perspectives Developed by Mark Griffin, LEAD is a model for safety leadership that provides organisations with four clear capabilities to target in order to improve safety. Assessment tools, workbooks, workshops and case study materials are available to develop a complete safety leadership program. Read more about this project

The Ageing Workforce Maximising the Productivity, Health and Well-Being of Mature Workers Project members Project lead Professor Sharon Parker Project lead Daniela Andrei Project lead Gigi Petery Project member Gina Chatelier Project member Jane Chong Project member Professor John Cordery Project member Christine Soo About the project We can't ignore that the workforce is ageing. With increasing life expectancy and changing welfare policies, many mature workers will have both the capacity and demand to work until until they are older. The health of our nation will be served through creating work that preserves the wellbeing and social, psychological, and mental capital of older workers. Our reserach, part of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Population Ageing Research (CEPAR), addresses these crucial challenges of work and ageing. Read more visit the CEPAR website Key Research Goals The aim of this research is to identify work designs and practices to attract and retain mature workers, thus enhancing their performance and wellbeing, and improving productivity within organisations and society more broadly. Specifically, there are three research questions addressed: 1. What are the factors that promote successful ageing in the workplace? 2. How can we promote successful teams, organisations, and societies by facilitating mature workforce participation? 3. How can organisations facilitate the optimal balancing of work and care responsibilities for mature employees? The outcomes of this research will inform best practice, organisational policies and implementation to enable older workers to participate longer in paid work while balancing this with their external care demands.

Thrive at Work Audit: Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia (RAC) Project members Project lead Professor Karina Jorritsma Project lead Megan Orchard Overview Led by Curtin University's Future of Work Institute (FOWI), Thrive at Work is a ground-breaking workplace well-being initiative centred on designing work that helps employees, organisations and industry to thrive. The Thrive at Work Audit is a practical and simple tool developed to assist organisations, of all sizes and maturity, in evaluating their current state and their progress towards creating a thriving workplace. The collaboration In 2018, the Future of Work Institute commenced a collaboration with the Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia (RAC) to undertake an audit of RAC’s current mental health and well-being activities across the pillars of the Thrive at Work Framework, which include: Mitigating Illness, Preventing Harm, and Promoting Thriving. The aim of the collaboration was for the audit results to inform the development of an RAC employee mental health and well-being strategy. As part of the audit process, RAC undertook three facilitated workshops that involved representatives across functional departments including Human Resources, Occupational Health and Safety, Organisational Development, and People and Culture. During these workshops, they consolidated their current workplace mental health and wellbeing activities and assessed the maturity of those activities using the Thrive at Work Framework. Visit the Thrive at Work website, to learn more Industry outcomes Where they sit currently Establish a baseline position in terms of mapping current policies, procedures, activities and practices against the Thrive at Work Framework. Mapping out the organisation Identify gaps, strengths, and opportunities for development. Take stock and assess impact Prioritise resources and investments based on their impact.

WA Department of Education Unplanned Absenteeism Analysis Project member Project lead Yukun Liu Overview Client: Western Australia Department of Education The Future of Work Institute (FOWI) partnered with the Western Australia Department of Education’s internal workplace planning team to investigate unplanned absenteeism within the department. This collaboration marked the first time that the WA Department of Education’s absenteeism data had been analysed for scientific purposes. Through rigorous statistical analyses, FOWI researchers generated several interesting findings and patterns. Highlights of the findings include: Yearly leave statistics by different categories such as job groups, leave types, regions, and schools; Statistical associations between staff demographics and duration and patterns of their unplanned leave; Pattern differences among teaching and support staff; Statistical associations between yearly leave patterns at the school-level and Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) and; Patterns of monthly leave durations at both the department level and the person level. Industry outcomes Generation of useful data Enabling the WA Department of Education to gain an overview using data insights. Identify features Thoroughly analyse leave patterns across different organisational levels, categories, and time periods. Reduce unplanned absenteeism Propose and design planning strategies or initiatives to effectively reduce department staff.

Work Systems Design Optimising the performance and wellbeing of humans in complex and human-machines systems Project members Chief Investigator Professor Sharon Parker Chief Investigator Professor Mark Griffin Project lead Professor Karina Jorritsma Project member Katrina Hosszu Project member Belinda Cham Project member Micah Wilson Project member Luke Strickland Project member Alex Boeing Overview What we do We are a team of researchers with a background in organisational, experimental, and cognitive psychology with expertise in 'work systems design', an area of applied research which sits at the intersection of organisational psychology, human factors, cognition, and systems engineering. We engage with industry and government to inform the design of optimised work systems using an integrative socio-technical approach. Our goal is to support the performance and wellbeing of employees working in complex and dynamic work systems. For more information contact: Karina Jorritsma What is a work system? Work systems comprise both social systems (human-related) and technical systems (non-human). As the rise of digital technologies transforms the way we work and live, the design and integration of technical systems will be crucial to their uptake and success. The core principle underlying our approach is that the design of social and technical systems should co-evolve, and work systems optimisation can only be achieved when human and technical aspects are prioritised equally. Our Core Tenets Consultative and collaborative: An optimised socio-technical system (STS) design process must include representation from end users in the work system as well as technical experts (e.g., designers/developers) and social system experts (e.g. psychologists) in order to capture key needs and system considerations and constraints. Human-centric: Job roles should support wellbeing by ensuring challenging yet meaningful work for humans. Task allocation guided by good work design principles can enhance human strengths and ensure human limitations are supported by the technical system. Sustainable design: A sustainable work system considers the ongoing endurance of workers over time. This includes not only sustained individual and team performance, but also ongoing attraction and retention of personnel. Pragmatic & compatible: Development of socio-technical systems must be integrated within an organisation’s existing change processes and systems engineering processes. Cross-disciplinary: Expertise is drawn from across a broad range of human sciences to ensure a holistic focus, e.g., how do biological processes, shift structures, work design, and design/technology features contribute to worker fatigue and endurance? Recursive and iterative: A recursive and iterative approach allows for a flexible design process that canadapt to evolving design requirements

Navigating the Job Search Journey Project members Project lead Professor Marylène Gagné Project lead Cheryl Skyes Overview (Research approval number HRE2020-0551)