Vanessa Bowden

Vanessa Bowden is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychological Science at The University of Western Australia. She serves as Graduate Research Coordinator for the School, Deputy Director of the Master of Industrial and Organisational Psychology program, and Co-Director of the Human Factors and Applied Cognition Laboratory. Her academic credentials include a PhD from The University of Western Australia and a Graduate Diploma in Human Factors and Safety Management Systems from the University of South Australia.

Dr. Bowden's research expertise spans multiple domains within human factors and cognitive psychology. Her primary research interests include:

• Human interaction with technological systems
• Automation design and human-automation interaction
• Driver distraction and transportation safety
• Cognitive processes in complex work settings
• Situation awareness and workload management
• Prospective memory in applied contexts

Her recent research has focused on understanding how humans interact with automated systems across various domains, from driving to air traffic control. Dr. Bowden has developed computational models of human decision-making with automated advice and has investigated the impact of automation transparency on operator performance. Her work has important implications for designing safer technological systems that optimize human performance.

Dr. Bowden has received significant research funding, including an Australian Research Council Discovery grant (2024) for $924,198 for "A Unified Computational Model of How Humans Use Automated Advice" and multiple Department of Defence grants. Her research has been published extensively in top-tier journals in human factors and cognitive psychology.

She has supervised numerous research students and currently accepts PhD and other Higher Degree by Research students. Dr. Bowden teaches several courses including Psychology of Training (PSYC5573), Industrial and Organisational Psychology (PSYC3309), and Perception and Sensory Neuropsychology (PSYC3318).