Greer Bennett

Dr. Greer Bennett serves as a Conjoint Lecturer at the University of Newcastle's School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy within the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing. She also holds a position as Senior Project Officer at the Hunter Institute of Mental Health, where she works with the Child, Youth and Wellbeing team to promote mental health early in life. Her academic journey began with a Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Class I Honours) from the University of Newcastle, followed by a PhD completed in 2015 through the Mothers and Babies Research Centre.

Dr. Bennett's research interests focus on maternal mental health and its programming effects on health behaviors across the lifespan. Her work bridges behavioral neuroscience with population-based mental health research, examining how prenatal experiences influence child development and adult mental health outcomes. She has particular expertise in neurosteroid pathways, brain development, and the impacts of prenatal stress on neurological and behavioral outcomes.

Analysis of Dr. Bennett's publication record reveals a consistent focus on prenatal stress models using guinea pig research, with particular attention to neurosteroid pathways, brain development, and behavioral outcomes. Her work demonstrates increasing sophistication in examining the timing and severity of prenatal stressors, with implications for understanding anxiety disorders and neurodevelopmental conditions. The research spans basic neuroscience to applied mental health promotion, reflecting her dual expertise in laboratory research and community-based interventions.

Her scientific awards include:

• Travel Award from the Australian Neuroscience Society (2014)
• Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) (2012)
• Summer Scholarship from the Mothers and Babies Research Centre (2011)
• Deputy Vice-Chancellor Honours Scholarship from the University of Newcastle (2010)

In her role at the Hunter Institute of Mental Health, Dr. Bennett leads the Start Well research project focused on promoting resilience in early career school teachers and contributes to the Response Ability project promoting mental wellbeing in pre-service teachers. Previously, she served as Scientific and Research Liaison at the Hunter Medical Research Institute, where she led website redevelopment and created scientific content to translate research findings to the community. She has also been active in professional organizations, convening the Newcastle branch of the Australian Society for Medical Research.