Nicki Dowling

Professor Nicki Dowling is a distinguished academic at Deakin University's School of Psychology. She leads the Gambling Research Group and specializes in problem gambling, addiction psychology, and behavioral interventions. Her research program focuses on identification, prevention, and treatment of gambling-related harm through scientifically rigorous methodologies, co-design approaches, and advanced statistical analysis.

Her educational background includes a Doctor of Philosophy and Graduate Diploma in Psychology from RMIT University. As a registered clinical psychologist, she brings practical experience from her previous role as a problem gambling counselor.

Research interests span three strategic areas:

• Development of screening instruments across clinical settings
• Prevention science initiatives for gambling harm
• Evidence-based interventions including innovative mHealth applications

Publication analysis reveals strong focus on:

• Population-level gambling harm assessment
• Digital interventions and treatment efficacy
• Family and social impacts of problem gambling
• Policy-relevant research informing regulatory frameworks

She has secured numerous competitive grants including:

• NSW Government - Office of Responsible Gambling ($449,209)
• Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation ($282,260)
• National Center for Responsible Gambling ($44,137)

totaling over $2 million in research funding.

Current doctoral supervision includes projects on older adult gambling behaviors, stigma reduction, help needs of affected others, and engagement in digital interventions. She leads an active research group developing novel approaches to gambling harm mitigation.