Anxiety and its related disorders; obsessive-compulsive related disorders; addictive disorders; overconsumption; emotion regulation; therapy processes and outcomes; science-based practice

I am a Professor in the School of Psychological Sciences at Macquarie University. I am also a Registered Psychologist with clinical endorsement (AHPRA Registration Board Registration No: PSY0001352136) and a board approved supervisor (clinical psychology). 

I served as Deputy Director (2016-2022) and then Director (2023) for Macquarie University’s Centre for Emotional Health before its amalgamation into the Lifespan Health & Wellbeing Research Centre. From 2019-2023, I was the elected National President for the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy (AACBT). In 2024, I served as Acting Director for the Master of Clinical Psychology program at Macquarie University.  

My journey in psychology started with a “Careers in Psychology” class at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It was also facilitated by the McNair Scholars Program, which aims to prepare disadvantaged undergraduate students for doctoral studies. If it was not for the McNair Scholars Program and other opportunities provided to me by academic and clinical mentors, I may not be where I am today. Thus, it is very important to me that I give back to other first-generation, rural, low SES, minority students and other marginalised individuals.

I routinely supervise both undergraduate and postgraduate students interested in topics related to my field of research. Importantly, many students enter my lab in the second year of their undergraduate studies as a way to prepare themselves for a research career. 

To disseminate research broadly, each year I participate in a handful of media interviews (see Press/Media) and public discussions. As examples, in 2018, I delivered an informal presentation on how to conquer fear and anxiety for Nerd Nite North Sydney and in 2019, I delivered a sold-out public talk (The Science of Hoarding) at the State Library of NSW for the Sydney Science Festival during National Science Week. In 2022, I presented on the science of letting go for the iconic Vivid Sydney. Notable interviews include discussing hoarding disorder on Studio 10 and Audible's What's the Story and discussing how to return to normal after COVID-19 with The Guardian and CNN International. 

When world events occur that relate to my area of research, I engage the public with articles in The Conversation.

• Why do people with hoarding disorder hoard, and how can we help? (25 October 2023)
• NSW inquiry rejects expert advice on Parental Rights Bill, and it will cause students to suffer (14 September 2021)
• How to know if your online shopping habit is a problem — and what to do if it is (12 August 2020)
• Psychology can explain why coronavirus drives us to panic buy. It also provides tips on how to stop (20 March 2020)
• My possessions spark joy! Will the KonMari decluttering method work for me? (24 January 2019)
• When possessions are poor substitutes for people: hoarding disorder and loneliness (12 June 2018)

In addition to furthering my lab's research agenda, I also help facilitate others' research by serving as an ad hoc reviewer for multiple journals and by serving on the Editorial Boards of Behaviour Research and Therapy, Behavior Therapy, and Current Opinion in Psychology. I recently served as an Invited Guest Editor for a special issue on Object Attachment for Current Opinion in Psychology with Prof Derek Rucker (Northwestern University). This special issue is quite exciting because it brings together research from various fields in psychology, as well as from psychiatry, marketing, and design to develop a comprehensive understanding of the causes and consequences of object attachment. 

I am engaged in a number of activities within the community. I work with consumers to co-design effective interventions. As an example, read this research paper. 

I am an expert advisor and consultant for Sydney Local Health District's Hoarding and Squalor Program and regularly work with Catholic Healthcare, Community Care Northern Beaches, and Lifelife Harbour to Hawkesbury. I was also a member of the Sydney North Health Network Mental Health Advisory Committee for numerous years. 

I am responsible for teaching and convening PSYU3337 (Psychopathology) and PSYC8987 (Child and Adult Psychopathology 1). I also teach on PSYC1101 (Introduction to Psychology I) and previously convened PSY105 and taught on PSYC988 (Psychological Assessment and Child and Adult Psychopathology 2) and PSYC989 (Clinical Psychology Therapy 2).