Amanda George

Dr Amanda George is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Canberra. Her research focuses on harmful risk-taking behaviors among young adults, particularly addictive behaviors and road safety, with a focus on identifying modifiable psychological mechanisms like drinking motives and anticipated regret. She has secured grants from the ACT Road Safety Fund and Healthway, and contributed to a special issue of Addictive Behaviors on global youth drinking behaviors. Her educational leadership includes curriculum development, course innovation, and employability strategies for psychology graduates.

Dr George holds a PhD in Psychology from the Australian National University and a qualification in Scholarship of Educational Leadership from the University of British Columbia. She is a core member of the Mental Health Harm Prevention research group and involved with the University Drug and Alcohol Network and Australasian College of Road Safety.

Her research interests span:

• Risk-taking behaviors (alcohol use, mobile phone use while driving)
• Problematic smartphone use and digital dependency
• Social anxiety and impulsivity
• Employability of psychology graduates
• Decolonization and Indigenization of curricula

Her recent projects include evaluating e-scooter safety, gambling harms in the digital age, and web-based tools to reduce distracted driving. Supervision focuses on risk-taking behaviors and employs machine learning to enhance graduate career pathways.

Key collaborations involve industry partnerships for employability initiatives and road safety interventions.