Rate My Professor Rachael Wynne

Dr Rachael Wynne is a Lecturer in the School of Psychological Sciences within the College of Engineering, Science and Environment at the University of Newcastle, where she joined as an Associate Lecturer in January 2022. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of the Sunshine Coast, with a thesis on validity testing of research methods for visual attention in learner drivers, a Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) from the Australian Catholic University, and a Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Education from Central Queensland University. Prior to her current position, Wynne was a Research Fellow at the Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems at the University of the Sunshine Coast from August 2021 to February 2022, focusing on driver distraction and autonomous vehicle safety projects. She also served as a Research Fellow in the Human Factors Engineering Transportation Research Group at the Faculty of Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, UK, from January 2020 to May 2021, contributing to the Innovate UK-funded Open Flight Deck project for aviation environment optimization. Earlier roles include Teaching Assistant at the University of Otago in 2019, Research Assistant at the University of the Sunshine Coast from 2017 to 2020, Sessional Academic at the University of Southern Queensland from 2013 to 2021, and Sessional Academic at the Australian Catholic University from 2012 to 2015. She has taught psychology courses across these institutions.

Wynne's research interests center on the intersection of human factors and cognitive psychology, examining how experience and expectations influence attention and memory in environmental interactions. Her studies cover distraction, false memory, working memory capacity, visual attention in novice and experienced drivers, road safety, hazard perception in cyclists, beach driving, CCTV network design, and e-sports performance. Fields of research include cognition (50%), memory and attention (40%), and industrial and organisational psychology including human factors (10%). Major grants include a 2026 ARC Discovery Project ($601,440) titled 'A new framework for decision making under internal and external demands', a 2024 Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts National Road Safety Action Grant ($382,417) on 'looked-but-failed-to-see' crashes for motorcyclists and cyclists, and a 2022 Australian Automobile Association project ($1,121,313) evaluating human-machine interfaces in Australian vehicles. Key publications feature the 2023 book 'Human Factors on the Flight Deck: A Practical Guide for Design, Modelling and Evaluation' co-authored with Parnell, Banks, Stanton, Plant, and others; journal articles such as 'A sociotechnical systems analysis of aircraft aerodynamic stall events' (2024, Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries), 'Causation and control: Understanding distracted driving in Australia through a systems thinking lens' (2024, Safety Science), 'Pilot decision-making during a dual engine failure on take-off' (2022, Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing), and 'Effects of roadside memorials on drivers' risk perception and eye movements' (2019, Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications). Awards include first place at the University of the Sunshine Coast 3 Minute Thesis competitions in 2017 and 2018, with representation at Asia-Pacific finals.