Rate My Professor Melissa Black

Dr. Melissa Black is a researcher and academic affiliated with the Curtin School of Allied Health in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Curtin University, Perth, Australia. She earned her Bachelor of Science with Honours from Curtin University between 2011 and 2014, followed by a Doctor of Philosophy in Occupational Therapy in 2019. Her doctoral thesis, titled 'Understanding the Mechanisms of Facial Emotion Recognition in Adults on the Autism Spectrum,' employed eye-tracking and electroencephalography to investigate neural, attentional, and cognitive processes underlying emotion recognition difficulties in autistic adults. This work sought to identify biomarkers for diagnostic and predictive purposes, enhancing intervention strategies. As a member of the Curtin Autism Research Group (CARG), Black's research extends to examining facilitators and barriers to employment for individuals on the autism spectrum, promoting strengths-based approaches to foster employment pathways for adolescents, and exploring real-world outcomes through ecologically valid methods.

During her tenure at Curtin University, Black served as a Research Associate in the School of Allied Health from 2021 to 2022 and contributed as a supervisor for PhD theses, including one on the development and evaluation of social skills group training for Australian adolescents on the autism spectrum. Her scholarly contributions include key publications such as 'Success Factors Enabling Employment for Adults on the Autism Spectrum from Employers’ Perspective' (2019, with Adolfsson and Falkmer), 'The Use of Wearable Technology to Measure and Support Community Participation of Youth with Autism' (2020), 'Multi-informant International Perspectives on the Nature of Participation for Autistic Adolescents' (2020, Autism Research), and 'The Big Wide World of School: Supporting Children on the Autism Spectrum Who Are Transitioning to Primary School' (2020). These works have advanced understanding of participation, social cognition, and support needs in autism, informing clinical and educational practices. Black has also collaborated on projects addressing sensorimotor control, school readiness, and employer perspectives in autism employment.