Heather Douglas

Dr. Heather Douglas is a Lecturer at the School of Psychological Sciences, University of Newcastle. As an organisational psychologist specializing in personality and individual differences, her research examines how confidence dynamics, imposter phenomenon, and cognitive biases influence professional behavior and workplace systems.

• PhD in organisational psychology (University of Newcastle, 2014)
• Former Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at Macquarie University and University of New South Wales
• Previously developed psychology programs at Murdoch University's Singapore campus

Her work provides actionable insights for healthcare safety, aged care policy, and educational equity through:

• Experimental studies on interruptions and multitasking in emergency departments
• Development of psychometric assessment tools for confidence-ability alignment
• Pioneering research on backfire effects in climate change denial

Recent publications explore:

• Mechanisms of imposter feelings in elite female coaches
• Confidence-accuracy discrepancies predicting career derailers
• Impacts of social participation on aging outcomes
• Validation of team leadership assessment tools with Brave Insights

She supervises PhD students in:

• Anti-scientific beliefs
• Imposter phenomenon transitions
• Binge eating measures
• Workplace equity interventions