Substance Use, Creativity and Scientific Work: Analysing a Global Survey of Researchers

Overview

Scientists are central to the production of knowledge, innovation and technological change, yet relatively little is known about their own wellbeing, substance use, work pressures, creativity or productivity. Popular culture often associates scientific and creative achievement with alcohol, stimulants, psychedelics or other altered states of consciousness. However, rigorous evidence on these relationships is limited, particularly across a large and internationally diverse sample of researchers. Existing research also tends to overlook the wider conditions that may shape substance use, including publication pressure, job insecurity, workload, mental health challenges, neurodivergence, work life balance and disciplinary culture.

This interdisciplinary project contributes to a large global survey of scientists and researchers. The study includes measures of alcohol and substance use, motives for use, self-reported creativity and productivity, personality, career stage, field of research, work pressures, mental health and neurodivergence indicators, and a range of demographic and professional characteristics. It combines behavioural economics, psychology, public health, science of science, organisational research and survey methods.

A VRES student will undertake a focused analysis of an existing de-identified dataset. Possible topics include variation in substance use motives across disciplines and career stages; associations between workplace pressure and reported substance use; or relationships between self-reported creativity, productivity and wellbeing indicators. The work will provide meaningful experience in analysing large-scale survey data responsibly and translating complex findings into rigorous, publication-ready research outputs.

Research engagement

The student will:

• Conduct a review existing literature to identify gaps and contextualise the current study;
• Work on real-world data using quantitative data analysis techniques;
• Document the findings of the study, interpreting the data and drawing conclusions based on the analysis.

Research activities

The student will work with Dr Stephen Whyte and other members of the behavioural economics/AI research team at the ARC BITA Centre. They will gain practical experience in Stata, Python or R, reproducible data cleaning, regression modelling, visualisation, research documentation and academic writing.

• The project aims to produce a draft manuscript that includes the following:
  • Introduction: Overview of the study’s background and significance.
  • Literature Review: Review of the existing research literature and identification of gaps.
  • Research Aims/Objectives and Questions/Hypotheses: Clear articulation of the study’s aims/objectives and research questions/hypotheses.
  • Methodology: Description of the data collection process and analysis
  • methods.
  • Results and Discussion: Presentation and interpretation of findings.
  • Conclusions and Future Work: Summary of key insights and
  • recommendations for future research.
  • Reference List/Bibliography
  • Appendices (optional)
• Generate a brief, 2-3 slide presentation to present your research at the Faculty of Business and Law VRES Showcase to conclude the program.
• (Optional) The student will be eligible to present the findings of their research to an audience of 100+ academics and industry partners in the annual BITA conference in February/March 2027, provided the student is keen and interested to.
• (Optional) The ultimate goal is to co-author and submit the manuscript with the student to an academic journal, provided the student is keen and interested to. However, it should be noted that the primary deliverable is a final draft manuscript. No work beyond the VRES period is required. Any later contribution to a manuscript would be optional and by mutual agreement.

Research skills

They will gain practical experience in Stata, Python or R, reproducible data cleaning, regression modelling, visualisation, research documentation and academic writing.

Outcomes

• The project aims to produce a draft manuscript that includes the following:
  • Introduction: Overview of the study’s background and significance.
  • Literature Review: Review of the existing research literature and identification of gaps.
  • Research Aims/Objectives and Questions/Hypotheses: Clear articulation of the study’s aims/objectives and research questions/hypotheses.
  • Methodology: Description of the data collection process and analysis
  • methods.
  • Results and Discussion: Presentation and interpretation of findings.
  • Conclusions and Future Work: Summary of key insights and
  • recommendations for future research.
  • Reference List/Bibliography
  • Appendices (optional)
• Generate a brief, 2-3 slide presentation to present your research at the Faculty of Business and Law VRES Showcase to conclude the program.
• (Optional) The student will be eligible to present the findings of their research to an audience of 100+ academics and industry partners in the annual BITA conference in February/March 2027, provided the student is keen and interested to.
• (Optional) The ultimate goal is to co-author and submit the manuscript with the student to an academic journal, provided the student is keen and interested to. However, it should be noted that the primary deliverable is a final draft manuscript. No work beyond the VRES period is required. Any later contribution to a manuscript would be optional and by mutual agreement.

Skills and experience

• An interest in psychology, health, behavioural economics, public policy or innovation and research culture desirable;
• Some proficiency in data entry, data analysis, and statistical techniques preferred;
• Experience using software such as Stata, R and Python and an interest in health or mental health research would be beneficial for this role; and
• Students must be comfortable working respectfully with sensitive and potentially distressing topics.

Start date

2 November, 2026

End date

19 February, 2027

Location

QUT Gardens Point campus (Z Block, Level 7), with some work able to be completed online/remotely subject to mutual agreement between the student and their VRES supervisor.

Additional information

The student will be provided with access to an existing de-identified dataset, a data dictionary, code templates and regular supervision. Self-guided preparatory readings could include topics such as survey design, ethical/responsible analysis of large-scale survey data, research culture and substance use measurement.

Keywords

• Behavioural Economics
• Survey Research
• Substance Use
• Creativity
• Mental Health
• Research Culture

Contact

Dr Stephen Whyte

+61 7 3138 1050

sg.whyte@qut.edu.au