Justine Gatt

Associate Professor Justine Gatt serves as Director of the Centre for Wellbeing, Resilience and Recovery, Principal Scientist of the Gatt Resilience Group at Neuroscience Research Australia and the School of Psychology UNSW, and invited External Fellow at the Black Dog Institute. With over 20 years of expertise in mental health and wellbeing research, she pioneered Australia's first dedicated research program on the neuroscience of wellbeing and resilience, authoring over 105 publications with more than 6,600 citations, including 4 papers ranking in the top 1% of the field.

Dr. Gatt completed her BA (Hons I) in Psychology and PhD in Psychology at the University of Sydney, establishing the foundation for her distinguished research career. Her doctoral work focused on the role of personality in disease detection and prevention, which evolved into her current specialization in mental wellbeing neuroscience.

Her research program centers on understanding the neuroscience of wellbeing and resilience to stress and trauma, and developing intervention platforms to promote these qualities. Key areas include longitudinal neuroimaging studies of adults and adolescents, twin studies (TWIN-E and TWIN-10), wellbeing program development for organizations (Thrive), wellbeing app development (ReNeuWell), and clinical trials across diverse populations. The COMPAS-W Wellbeing Scale, which she developed and validated for adults and adolescents aged 12+, serves as the primary outcome measure in her research, alongside specialized versions for children (COMPAS-KIDS) and parents (COMPAS-PARENTS).

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on identifying neural correlates of wellbeing, resilience mechanisms, and developing valid assessment tools. Her work increasingly emphasizes twin methodologies to disentangle genetic and environmental influences, advanced neuroimaging approaches to pinpoint brain mechanisms, and translating findings into practical wellbeing interventions for both clinical and community settings. Recent studies demonstrate growing interest in digital wellbeing solutions and the impact of life events on mental health trajectories.

Dr. Gatt has received numerous prestigious awards recognizing her contributions:

• UNSW Staff Award for Research Collaboration (2024)
• WUN Success Story award for 'Exceptional Levels of Achievement' (2019)
• Commonwealth Health Minister's Award for Excellence in Medical Research (2014)
• NHMRC Excellence Award for top-ranked CDF fellowship (2014)
• Westmead Millennium Institute Science Prizes (2009, 2010)

With over $15.7 million in secured funding, Dr. Gatt has supervised more than 51 research staff and students, including 33 HDR students. Her current projects include an NHMRC Project Grant for a longitudinal twin study of neural trajectories toward resilience (2017-2024), a Mindgardens Neuroscience Network Grant for measuring and promoting wellbeing (2020-2023), an NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence grant (2024-2028), and a Wellcome Trust Mental Health Award (2025-2027). She has delivered over 100 invited talks and featured in 55 media engagements, demonstrating exceptional skill in translating complex research for diverse audiences.

Dr. Gatt leads the Gatt Resilience Group at Neuroscience Research Australia, which conducts cutting-edge research on the neuroscience and genetics of wellbeing. The group maintains strong collaborations with international networks including the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) Resilience Research Group, where Dr. Gatt served as Lead Coordinator of the International Youth Resilience Group. Her team has developed several evidence-based wellbeing tools and interventions that are being implemented across clinical, educational, and organizational settings, with a particular focus on translating research findings into practical applications that improve mental health outcomes across the lifespan.