Associate Professor
Erin O'Connor
Faculty of Health,
School of Psychology & Counselling
Biography
I am a registered Psychologist with a deep passion for how adults and adolescents learn—whether it’s making health-related decisions, navigating university life, or the career trajectories of non-traditional students. My work is grounded in collaboration, partnering with university students and community organizations to create programs that not only enhance education services but also empower students to build meaningful careers.I am committed to advancing quality in tertiary education. As a National Committee member and Lead Assessor for the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) and a Senior Fellow and Associate Fellow (Indigenous) of the Higher Education Academy, I bring a strong focus on standards and inclusivity. My academic journey includes post-doctoral training at the University of Minnesota, and I have contributed as a learning design consultant across universities and secondary schools.
Leadership in learning and teaching has been a central part of my career. I served as my school’s Director of Learning and Teaching and chaired the Psychology and Counselling Learning and Teaching Committee (2015–2020), while also contributing to university-wide boards such as the UAB and ULTC. My dedication to student success has been recognized through a Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (2014), two Vice Chancellor’s Performance Awards, multiple nominations for the David Gardiner Teacher of the Year Award, and the APS Early Career Teacher Award (2012).
My research interests span adult learning and decision-making, community program evaluation and participatory research, and health and consumer psychology—areas where evidence-based insights can make a real-world difference.
Personal details
Positions
- Associate Professor
Faculty of Health,
School of Psychology & Counselling
Research field
Other Education, Other psychology, Other human society
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (Queensland University of Technology)
- Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) (Queensland University of Technology)
Professional memberships and associations
- Registered Psychologist (Australia)
- National Accreditation Committee Member and Assessor - Australian Psychology Accreditation Council
- National Assessor - Australian Awards for University Teaching
- Student Success Journal Editorial Board
- Past - University Academic Board
- Past- University Learning and Teaching Committee
Teaching
I teach and contribute to all levels of Psychology training at QUT, but my core focus is undergraduate work integrated experience.
PYB301 (previously PYB207) - Psychology in the Community (subject for final year students)
This unit offers psychology students a unique opportunity to bridge theory and practice through a 50-hour placement with a community, private, or government organization. Students gain hands-on experience while contributing meaningfully to real-world initiatives.
Alongside the placement, students develop essential reflection skills and participate in mock job interviews to build essential employment-seeking skills.
PYB300 - Behavioural Science and Contemporary Challenges
- In this core final year unit, students work with community partners to develop drafts of grant applications for funding.
PYB207 - Group Work (past)
- Intensive experiential learning through a group experience;
- Development of group facilitation skills; and
- Refinement of reflective thinking during and after group facilitation.
I have also previously taught PYB000, PYB215, PYB302, PYB306. I developed and taught the psychology first year curriculum for University of Minnesota's Bachelor of Science (Health science) degree (2009/10).
Experience
Past Experience:
- Post Doctoral Associate - University of Minnesota, USA
- Learning Designer - Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology
- Education Evaluation (Private consultant) - St Paul's School, QLD
- Elected Committee Member: Consumer Liaison Committee, Food Standards Australia and New Zealand
Previous research appointments: Cancer Council, Center for Accident Research and Road Safety - QLD, St Flanna's School (Refugee support), and St Paul's School Previous volunteer service: Association for Friends and Relatives of the Mentally Ill (ARAFMI), and Pine Rivers Neighbourhood Center.
Publications
- Hamilton, K., Morrissey, S., Farrell, L., Ellu, M., O'Donovan, A., Weinbrecht, T. & O'Connor, E. (2018). Increasing psychological literacy and work readiness of Australian psychology undergraduates through a capstone and work-integrated learning experience: Current issues and what needs to be done. Australian Psychologist, 53(2), 151–160. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/223268
- O'Connor, E., Sims, L. & White, K. (2017). Ethical food choices: Examining people's Fair Trade purchasing decisions. Food Quality and Preference, 60, 105–112. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/105839
- Moss, N., O'Connor, E. & White, K. (2010). Psychosocial predictors of the use of enhanced podcasting in student learning. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(3), 302–309. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/31796
- Longman, H., O'Connor, E. & Obst, P. (2009). The Effect of Social Support Derived from World of Warcraft on Negative Psychological Symptoms. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 12(5), 563–566. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/27307
- O'Connor, E., Longman, H., White, K. & Obst, P. (2015). Sense of community, social identity and social support among players of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs): A qualitative analysis. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 25(6), 459–473. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/84804
- Lum, M., Garnett, M. & O'Connor, E. (2014). Health communication: A pilot study comparing perceptions of women with and without high functioning autism spectrum disorder. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 8(12), 1713–1721. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/79943
- Wilson, D. & O'Connor, E. (2017). Mindfulness, personality and disordered eating. Personality and Individual Differences, 119, 7–12. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/108164
- O'Connor, E. & White, K. (2010). Willingness to trial functional foods and vitamin supplements: The role of attitudes, subjective norms, and dread of risks. Food Quality and Preference, 21(1), 75–81. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/28458
- Lodge, J., O'Connor, E., Shaw, R. & Burton, L. (2015). Applying cognitive science to critical thinking among higher education students. In M. Davies & R. Barnett (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of critical thinking in higher education (pp. 391–407). Palgrave Macmillan. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/84806
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Erin, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Filter publications:
A complete list of publications is available at: https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/el.oconnor
Selected research projects
- Title
- Improving work placement for international students, their mentors and other stakeholders
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- ID14-3837
- Start year
- 2014
- Keywords
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Looking for a postgraduate research supervisor?
I am currently accepting research students for Honours, Masters and PhD study.
You can browse existing student topics offered by QUT or propose your own topic.