Dr. Hema Selvanathan is a Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology in the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland. Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, she obtained her PhD in Social Psychology, with a concentration in the Psychology of Peace and Violence, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2019. She also holds a Master of Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. After completing her doctorate, she joined the University of Queensland as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow from 2019 to 2021, advancing to her current senior lecturing role. Her career trajectory reflects a commitment to advancing knowledge in social and political psychology through rigorous empirical research.

Selvanathan's research centers on social change and intergroup relations, exploring how sustained group-based efforts contribute to both social change and the maintenance of the status quo. Her academic interests include social movements and collective action, collective resistance, intergroup solidarity, intergroup conflict, and reconciliation. She employs quantitative and qualitative methods in laboratory, online, and field settings across diverse global regions. Her prolific publication record includes highly influential works such as 'A large-scale test of the link between intergroup contact and support for social change' (Nature Human Behaviour, 2020), 'Whites for racial justice: How contact with Black Americans predicts support for collective action among White Americans' (Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 2018), 'How economic inequality fuels the rise and persistence of the Yellow Vest movement' (International Review of Social Psychology, 2020), and 'Consequences of economic inequality for the social and political vitality of society: A social identity analysis' (Political Psychology, 2021). She has authored or co-authored 53 works between 2018 and 2026. Selvanathan has received the 2023 Early Career Research Award from the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists. She serves as Associate Editor for the British Journal of Social Psychology and holds editorial board positions on Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Personality and Social Psychology Review, and Social and Personality Psychology Compass. Her ongoing projects are supported by major grants, including an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (2026-2029) for 'The psychology of everyday resistance' and an ARC Discovery Indigenous grant (2025-2028) administered by The Australian National University for 'Pathways to non-Indigenous Allyship with Indigenous Australian Peoples'. She is recognized as a media expert on topics including allyship, collective action, inequality, peace, protest, racism, reconciliation, social change, social justice, social movements, and solidarity.

Professional Email: h.selvanathan@uq.edu.au