Jolene Cox

Dr Jolene Cox is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Human Factors and Systems Science at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC). Her interdisciplinary work applies human factors and complex systems theory to address critical issues in mental health services and transportation safety, with a particular focus on understanding help-seeking behaviors and system complexity impacts on wellbeing outcomes.

Dr Cox's academic background includes:

• BSc (Psychology) from Australian National University
• PhD (Cognitive Psychology) from Australian National University (awarded 2022)

Her research program bridges cognitive psychology with practical applications in healthcare and safety systems. She investigates how mental health system complexity affects individual wellbeing outcomes and applies similar methodologies to transportation safety research. Her cognitive psychology expertise informs both domains, creating a unique interdisciplinary approach that examines how individual cognitive processes interact with broader system properties. Recent work has expanded into emerging areas like gig economy worker safety and mental health among PhD students, always maintaining a systems thinking perspective.

Dr Cox's publication trajectory shows a clear evolution from foundational cognitive psychology research toward applied systems analysis in healthcare and safety contexts. Her recent work demonstrates strong emphasis on mental health systems, help-seeking behaviors, and systems thinking applications to complex problems like self-harm in young people and military personnel behavior. She maintains parallel research streams in transportation safety, with particular attention to environmental factors and gender differences.

Her scholarly contributions have been recognized through several awards:

• University of the Sunshine Coast SPARK Grant (2023)
• University of the Sunshine Coast LAUNCH Grant (2022)
• Association for Psychological Science Student Grant Competition (2019)
• Australian Government Research Training Program (2017-2022)
• Australasian Society for Experimental Psychology Best Poster Presentation (2017)

Dr Cox serves as Associate Editor for Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries and as an Editorial Board Member for Mental Health Science. Her pre-academic experience in Australian Government mental health strategic advisory roles provides practical context for her research. She collaborates extensively within the Centre for Human Factors and Systems Science, working with multidisciplinary teams to address complex safety and healthcare challenges through systems thinking approaches.