Dr. Laura Fruhen serves as an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Applied Psychology at the School of Psychological Science within the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Western Australia. She earned her PhD in Psychology from the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom in 2012, with a thesis titled 'Managing safety from the top: The influence of senior managers’ characteristics.' Prior to that, she obtained her Diplom Psychologin in Psychology from Justus Liebig University Giessen in Germany in 2009, focusing her thesis on 'Leadership style, safety climate and performance in German fire-fighting teams.' Fruhen has been affiliated with the University of Western Australia since 2014 in various research and teaching capacities, including as a Research Fellow. She also held a position as University Associate at Curtin University from August 2019 to March 2021. Her academic trajectory includes postdoctoral research and contributions to multiple funded projects.

Fruhen's research specializations lie in organisational psychology, encompassing leadership, team dynamics, work design, organisational culture, attitudes at work, workplace safety, mental health, and wellbeing, particularly in high-risk sectors such as energy, mining, aviation, healthcare, construction, and firefighting. She also investigates traffic psychology, specifically car driver and cyclist interactions, perceptions of norms, and behavioral antecedents. Key publications include 'Skills, knowledge and senior managers' demonstrations of safety commitment' (Safety Science, 2014), 'Chronic unease for safety in senior managers: an interview study of its components, behaviours and consequences' (2016), 'The attributes of effective safety storytelling: measurement and conceptual advancement' (Safety Science, 2025), 'Home and away: personal autonomy limitation in the liminal work context of fly-in-fly-out camps and psychological distress' (Community, Work and Family, 2024), and 'Leader safety storytelling: A qualitative analysis of the attributes of effective safety storytelling and its outcomes' (Safety Science, 2024). She has received funding from sources including the Australian Research Council, Mental Health Commission of Western Australia, and industry partners like Shell and Monadelphous. Notable awards include the School of Psychological Science Early-Career Research Award in 2022. Her work has informed Australia's first Code of Practice on mental health at work for FIFO workers, contributed to workshops, white papers, and presentations for industry and government, and aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 8. Fruhen has taught courses such as Teamwork (PSYC 5518) and maintains active involvement in grants like the ARC Research Hub for Fire Resilience Infrastructure.

Professional Email: laura.fruhen@uwa.edu.au