Wayne is a Professor of Developmental Psychology in the Macquarie University School of Psychological Sciences and is also a registered psychologist. Prior to academia Wayne had a long history working with vulnerable and low-income clients (most notably those with financial/gambling problems), and as a consumer advocate.

Wayne's academic research focuses on aggressive behaviour, social isues such as homelessness, and on issues around ways that people interact with mass media and screens. Recent projects include the impacts of violent and prosocial music and video games, the impacts of body disaffirming media, the impacts of social media, and a range of projects developing and evaluting programs for young people with screen disorders. The RES@T-A program for teens with problematic screen use featured on Australian Story in March, 2023, and a weekend intervention program for families with a child who has a serious screen disorder, developed with Brad Marshall, featured on Channel Seven's Spotlight in May, 2024.

Wayne is passionate about teaching that inspires students, research which can be used for social benefit, and communicating that research to parents, policymakers and professionals who work with children and teens.

Awards

2018: Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Media Psychology and Technology Award - Division 46 of the American Psychological Association. 

2018: NSW Parents Council Award for Excellence in Research to Promote Positive Mental Wellbeing in Youth.

2017: Vice Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence, Macquarie University

2016: Australian Psychological Society Outstanding Psychology Lecturer of the Year Award (Macquarie)

2015: Australian Psychological Society Outstanding Psychology Lecturer of the Year Award (Macquarie)

2014: Winner Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence, Macquarie University

2013: Winner of the Jan Pentland Prize for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Australian Financial Counselling

2007: Australian Psychological Society Award for Excellent PhD Thesis in Psychology 

Vice Chancellors Commendation for Excellent PhD Thesis

2006: Higher Degree Research Excellence Award (Macquarie University Division of Linguistics and Psychology)

2002: The Macquarie Foundation Science Prize for outstanding work in a science discipline which shows potential for industrial application

The University Medal for Psychology

The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Academic Excellence

The Australian Psychological Society Prize - Honours in Psychology

Prior to 2002: 18 awards for academic excellence

Current projects

Reboot-Sandbox intensive weekend intervention for families where one or more children has a serious screen disorder (Channel 7 Spotlight, May 12, 2024) with Brad Marshall (Macquarie University)

RES@T-A Australia program for teenagers with problematic and disordered screen use (see Australian Story at https://iview.abc.net.au/video/NC2302Q002S00) with Kerstin Paschke (University of Hamburg).

Links between screen disorders and aggressive behaviour.

Screen use and attention deficits (with Craig Anderson, Iowa State University).

Effect of violent and prosocial video games on needs and subsequent behaviour (with Robert Busching, Potsdam University, Germany; Doug Gentile, Iowa State, US)

Impact of songs with body affirming and body disaffirming lyrics (with Sarah Coyne, Brigham Young, US)

Cyberbullying across the world (with Chris Barlett, Gettysburg College, US)

Social media, problematic social media use, social comparison and depression (with Adele Samra, Macquarie University).

Longitudinal predictors of problematic/pathological screen use (with Sarah Coyne, Brigham Young, US).

Wayne's research interests primarily centre around aggressive behaviour and the impacts of media on children and young adults, including violent and prosocial video games, songs with violent or prosocial lyrics, songs with lyrics about body image, sexualised media, and problematic/pathological levels of screen use. He is also interested in issues around social equality and inclusion, including homelessness, financial literacy/financial counselling, finance-related stress and problem gambling. 

• Chair, PSYU-X3399: Psychological Science – Putting Theory into Practice, the psychology Capstone unit.
• Lecturer, PSYU-X1101: Introduction to Psychology. Personality module.
• Lecturer, PSYU-X2235: Developmental Psychology. Cognitive development and Adolescence sections
• Lecturer, PSYP904 (Professional Masters). Psychotic illness module.