The QS subject rankings for 2026 have shown MSPS has improved on last year’s results, moving up a spot to be #20 in the world and remaining #1 in Australia. Unimelb is the top ranked Australian university in Life Sciences and Medicine, and #14 in the world. www.topuniversities.com/university-s...

New article in The Conversation @theconversation.com by Lauren Fong about her recent work on preference-driven decisions! Featuring some tough choices between baked goods. (Journal article quoted below) theconversation.com/are-we-ever-... @psychunimelb.bsky.social @paulmgarrett.bsky.social

Our paper on double decisions in working memory tasks is now published in Computational Brain and Behaviour! When you give people a second chance, it reveals a lot about the contents of their memory. Led by @paulmgarrett.bsky.social @psychunimelb.bsky.social rdcu.be/e8SLX

What happens if we lose our faith in facts? Profr Katherine Johnson was featured in ABC's The Matter of Facts, a show that investigates how our digital ecosystem changes what we believe, how we behave and who we vote for. Watch it here: iview.abc.net.au/show/matter-...

According to Dr Valentina Bianchi, most people have nine secrets. This can be a burden, but is it better to share them or just learn how to live with them? Listen as she discusses the secrets of keeping secrets on Radio New Zealand: www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...

"Menopause can be really empowering and an awesome opportunity for a relationship reset." Dr Lydia Brown was featured in a Herald Sun article by Ruby Kraner-Tucci about how Australian women are rewriting the rules of midlife sexuality. Read it here: www.heraldsun.com.au/health/condi...

Irresponsible reporting of mental illness fuels stigma and fear. ABC Big Ideas has released our World Mental Health Day panel with MISRA and MSPGH, hosted by Dr Chris Groot and featuring Dr Anna Ross, Tim Heffernan and Gayle McNaught Listen here: www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

A huge congratulations to @simine.com!!

Happy World Sleep Day! Today MSPS researchers Professor Amy Jordan and Dr Joanne Avraam joined Leanne Ngo and others from the Health Promotion unit to quiz students, answer questions and promote good sleep.

❗ Venue change for Blindspot with Prof Mahzarin Banaji ❗ Due to technical issues, tonight's Miegunyah Lecture has moved to the Carrillo Gantner Theatre, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, 761 Swanston St. We'll also be starting slightly later - please be seated by 6.15pm. 📍 maps.app.goo.gl/iST38CE9446R...

There's just a week remaining until the Miegunyah Lecture with Prof Mahzarin Banaji as she presents "Blindspot: Hidden Biases in Humans and Machines" When: Wednesday, 11 March, 6-7.30pm Where: Public Lecture Theatre, Old Arts, Parkville Register here: go.unimelb.edu.au/str2

“Butterflies in the stomach” is a cute description for one part of the fight-or-flight response. But what exactly are these butterflies? Why can we feel them in our stomach? And is there anything we can do about them? Read Dr Amy Loughman's article: go.unimelb.edu.au/akr2

In this bonus episode of PsychTalks, Cassie Hayward and Nick Haslam welcome one of the world’s most influential developmental psychologists, Professor Alison Gopnik for an extended conversation on how our minds grow and change over the lifespan. Listen here: go.unimelb.edu.au/7axe

Tonight, Prof Pete Koval hosts the launch of Behind the Screens by Dr Niraj Lal, host of ABC Kid's Imagine This podcast. In Behind the Screens, Lal explores one of the most life-changing inventions in history, the internet! Learn more and book here: www.readings.com.au/events/behin...

I just created a series of seven deep-dive videos about AI, which I've posted to youtube and now here. 😊 Targeted to laypeople, they explore how LLMs work, what they can do, and what impacts they have on learning, well-being, disinformation, the workplace, the economy, and the environment.

Prof Michelle Jongenelis warns: "Sixty-six Australians die every day from smoking, still to this day... We need to go back to the mass media campaigns that really highlight the dangers of smoking — we've dropped the ball on that." Read more: www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...

Associate Professor and Co-director of the FEEL Lab @elisekalo.bsky.social contributed to an article about ways to cope with failure: www.everydayhealth.com/mental-healt...

"Medications should not be treated as a standalone cure." A/Prof Trevor Steward spoke to the ABC about studies finding that weight loss drug success does not last. Listen to it here: www.abc.net.au/listen/progr... Or learn more here: www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clini...

We said the season was over – but for Prof Alison Gopnik, we made an exception. In this bonus PsychTalks episode, Nick and Cassie had a conversation with one of the world's most influential developmental psychologists about how our minds change across our lives. Listen here: go.unimelb.edu.au/3axe

Congratulations Prof Michelle Jongenelis! She is Chief Investigator on a project (led by Prof Rebecca Bentley in MSPGH) that has received $5 million in NHMRC Synergy Grant funding. They will conduct research on reducing mould exposure in homes, focusing on people with respiratory conditions.

The teen social media ban has unofficially begun today across several platforms. This ban marks a world-first experiment in how to best tackle social media's impact on young people. Listen to our PsychTalks episode with A/Prof Scott Griffiths: open.spotify.com/episode/0Npt...

MSPS alumni Byron McCaughey and Craig Hyde-Smith were featured in Forbes Australia for their startup Sublime Studio which combines evidence-based psychology with founder-specific coaching to help entrepreneurs build resilience, focus and clarity to prevent burnout. www.forbes.com.au/news/entrepr...

Congratulations to Master of Applied Psychology grads Olivia Vermeesch and Robert Capp for their success at The Research Society Awards! Olivia Vermeesch (The Behavioural Architects) won The Young Researcher of the Year Award and Robert Capp (Ipsos) won the Rookie of the Year Award.

🏆 Individual: @simine.com, psychologist at @unimelb.bsky.social & editor-in-chief of Psychological Science, is recognized for pioneering methodological rigor, reproducibility & collaborative research, driving initiatives such as @improvingpsych.org & the journal Collabra @ucpress.bsky.social. (2/5)

‘Supervised’ self-driving cars are here – and Australia’s laws aren’t ready Dr Angus McKerral and Professor Kristen Pammer contribute to a discussion in The Conversation: theconversation.com/supervised-s...

New preprint from the lab led by @violetchae.bsky.social! We debut an open EEG dataset for research into food cognition and dietary choices. Featuring data from 117 different brains relating to 120 different food stimuli. @tgro.bsky.social @psychunimelb.bsky.social

Congratulations to the successful recipients of 2026 ARC Discovery Project funding: A/Prof Piers Howe, Dr Daniel Bennett, Prof Nick Haslam, Dr Sarah Tashjian and Prof Katherine Johnson!

Congratulations Dr @ccwalton.bsky.social ! He has been awarded a Movember grant for his project,'Enhancing suicide postvention in community sport’. This program delivered with the AFL and @orygen.org.au aims to better understand how sports clubs respond to instances of youth suicide and self-harm.

Still feeling the Halloween spirit🎃? Listen to Dr Sarah Tashjian on NPR's Short Wave discuss the science behind why we seek out scary experiences like haunted houses. Find the podcast here: www.npr.org/2025/10/29/n...

There's just two days remaining before the Brotherton Lecture with Prof Beatrice de Gelder as she presents "The body inside out: From experience to perception and back" When: 30 Oct, 6:00–7:00pm Where: Forum Theatre Register here: www.eventbrite.com.au/e/the-body-i...

New article in @theconversation.com - featuring some exciting new findings on how our brains rapidly encode a wide range of food properties when we see a food item. Your brain is doing a lot of work when you scroll through food delivery apps! Led by @violetchae.bsky.social w/ @tgro.bsky.social

Are we really making healthy choices for our children in the supermarket? Or are we being nudged by bright colours and fruit-filled imagery? A/Prof Helen Dixon and Jane Martin unpack the psychology, policy and packaging that influence what ends up in our shopping trolleys. go.unimelb.edu.au/7axe

This morning, Associate Professor Scott Griffiths went on ABC Hobart Breakfast to discuss how social media algorithms create negative echo chambers and how we can take back control. Listen to it here: www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Misinformation and disinformation now pose some of the biggest global risks to democracy and public trust. In the latest PsychTalks episode, A/Prof Piers Howe explains why it's important to stay informed, think critically and understand the science behind persuasion. go.unimelb.edu.au/7axe

Misinformation and disinformation now pose some of the biggest global risks to democracy and public trust. In the latest PsychTalks episode, A/Prof Piers Howe explains why it's important to stay informed, think critically and understand the science behind persuasion. go.unimelb.edu.au/7axe

Education at Melbourne interviewed Professor @andyperfors.bsky.social, Director of the Complex Human Data Hub at the University of Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, and Academic Lead, LGBTIQA+ Inclusion at the University. Read it here: go.unimelb.edu.au/t3qp

What's the best way to convince your boss to take on an idea you have? According to Prof Jen Overbeck, it’s important to look beyond our immediate goal and focus on establishing a foundation of credibility and respect. Tune in to PsychTalks to hear more: go.unimelb.edu.au/7axe

Want tips on how to use power and influence more effectively - whether you’re pitching an idea, leading a team, or asking your preschooler to brush their teeth? Prof Jen Overbeck unpacks how persuasion works, and why gender, identity and context matter. Find it here go.unimelb.edu.au/7axe

Menopause and ageing are often portrayed as a fundamentally negative and frightening process. In the latest episode of PsychTalks, Dr Lydia Brown offers a more nuanced approach that encourages women to pursue self-compassion and healthier attitudes towards ageing. go.unimelb.edu.au/7axe

We speak to @simine.com, @wchiggins.bsky.social and Laura Conlon about MetaMelb. This lab studies what is essentially ‘the psychology of psychology research’ – examining practices and norms across psychology. Read it here: go.unimelb.edu.au/753p

Congratulations Elizabeth Davie and Katie Possingham for their success presenting at the Professional Staff Conference 2025! Read about their experience presenting "In Your Element: Play to Your Strengths" and "Improv 101: The Art of Embracing Uncertainty" go.unimelb.edu.au/8v3p

Join us October 30 for the annual Brotherton with Professor Beatrice de Gelder: "The body inside out: From experience to perception and back" she will offer new perspectives on how the brain perceives and interprets bodies and social signals. Register here: www.eventbrite.com.au/e/the-body-i...

What are the mental health impacts of menopause and how are they connected with our ideas about ageing? Dr Lydia Brown shares insights from her research on self-compassion and how it can help those managing the psychological challenges of menopause. Find it here go.unimelb.edu.au/7axe

How do media portrayals shape public views of mental illness and what happens when violence makes the headlines? Join us October 9 for the 2025 World Mental Health Day with our expert panel where we discuss how we can shift the narrative. Register here: go.unimelb.edu.au/ee3p

How does language shape the way we think? While we can all see colours, different languages slice up the colour spectrum in unique ways. Some languages have far more words while others have just a handful. Listen to the latest PsychTalks episode with Dr Frank Mollica here go.unimelb.edu.au/7axe

As part of Women’s Health Week, we are proud to spotlight Dr Lydia Brown: clinical psychologist, senior lecturer, and menopause and mental health expert. Catch her on next week's episode of PsychTalks or register for her CPD workshop October 30. Read more: go.unimelb.edu.au/xn3p

Serena Williams' openness about using GLP-1 meds for weight loss sparks debate. Is her honesty praiseworthy or does it glorify thinness over health? A/Prof Isabel Krug contributes her thoughts: go.unimelb.edu.au/u9kp

What do the names of colours, kinship terms and legal jargon tell us about the human mind? In the latest episode of PsychTalks, Dr Frank Mollica explores language as a culturally shaped, far from universal cognitive tool. Find it here go.unimelb.edu.au/7axe

Why do some people seem naturally kind? Prof Luke Smillie breaks down personality traits like empathy, honesty and compassion – and how they shape behaviour. 🎧Find it here go.unimelb.edu.au/7axe

Menopause meets mental health: Learn from leading experts in gynaecology, neuropsychology & clinical psych Oct 30 CPD. Early bird closes Aug 24! CBT, self-compassion & practical tools for clinicians. 🔗 www.eventbrite.com.au/e/menopause-...?