Dr. Penelope Bergen is a Lecturer in the School of Business at UNSW Canberra, University of New South Wales. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy from Charles Darwin University, awarded in 2020, with her thesis titled "The development of the culture of non-Aboriginal government workers in remote Aboriginal settlements in Central Australia." This work utilized constructivist grounded theory methodology to investigate how governance structures, ambiguous policies, and social dynamics influenced the formation of workplace cultures among non-Indigenous staff in isolated remote communities during the 1960s and 1970s. As an applied sociologist, Bergen's research focuses on workplace cultures in isolated, confined, and extreme (ICE) environments, analyzing the interactions between values, governance, and social processes that shape behavior, resilience, and outcomes. Her studies cover diverse high-risk settings including remote Aboriginal communities, military operations, aviation, classical orchestras, elite sport, healthcare, and non-clinical respite care. She applies sociological insights to operational and policy challenges, such as multimodal data analysis for decision-making in aviation environments.

Bergen has authored several key publications, including the journal article "Making space for palliative care: Built environments and social practices in a novel, non-clinical respite setting" in Palliative Care and Social Practice (2026, with J. Connor, V. McDermott, and L. Mayo) and "Pharmacy in the future: A consumer perspective" in the Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research (2021, with L. Wells). Her reports include "Substance use in Australian orchestras: a scoping study" (2024, with J. Connor and V. McDermott), "Best practice respite design for non-clinical care" for Palliative Care ACT (2023), and "Evaluation of respite service provision for Respite Care for QBN - Yvonne Cuschieri House" (2023). She has received research funding from the UNSW Canberra School of Business for the orchestras project, the UNSW Course Design Institute Implementation Grant, and UNSW Canberra School of Science Seed Funding for aviation decision-making research. Her professional career encompasses broadcasting, print media, classical music performance, health policy, rural and remote health services, business consulting, government advisory positions, and teaching in strategic leadership and adaptive management. Bergen previously served as a research publications officer, academic journal editor, and peer reviewer. She is a member of the Public Service Research Group, Australian Sociological Association, and International Sociological Association, and currently supervises PhD research on disability and employment.

Professional Email: p.bergen@unsw.edu.au