Nicole McDonald

Dr. Nicole McDonald is a Senior Research Officer (Agri-tech Education and Extension) at CQUniversity Australia, holding a PhD in Vocational Psychology of Agriculture and a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Southern Queensland. Her research focuses on career development within agriculture, workforce attraction/retention, and technology adoption in farming. Key contributions include projects on cotton industry workforce dynamics and the RACE Gippsland initiative to design career interventions for students.

Education:

• PhD: Vocational Psychology of Agriculture (University of Southern Queensland)
• BSc (Hons): Psychology (University of Southern Queensland)

Research Interests:

• Agricultural workforce development
• Technology adoption in agriculture
• Leadership and skills development
• Sustainable agricultural practices
• Industrial/organisational psychology

Awards:

• 2019 Career Development Association of Australia Excellence in Research Award
• 2017 Australian Psychological Association Prize

Her work integrates qualitative and quantitative methods, emphasizing career guidance for youth and strategies to address agricultural workforce shortages. Current projects include designing skills training pathways and analyzing industry-school partnerships to strengthen the agricultural talent pipeline.