Dr Raquel Peel
Media Award for Public Engagement with Psychological Science

Award type: Science

Dr Raquel Peel is an internationally recognised relationships expert and an award-winning educator and researcher.

As a passionate advocate for healthy relationships, she has dedicated her career to improving interpersonal connections through research and education – shaping conversations across academia, industry, and the general public.

Dr Peel was the first to empirically define and conceptualise relationship sabotage – a groundbreaking contribution presented in her TEDx Talk and TEDx Shorts and featured in one of the most popular episodes of the TED Podcast and TED Ideas (We Human) series: “How to be a Better Human”.

Dr Peel is also a prolific contributor for The Conversation, with her work showcased in numerous Psychology Today articles and widely covered by national and international media.

Her research consistently attracts significant attention. As an example, metrics from Almetrics, which measures online attention, show that three of her research articles rank in the top 5% of all publications, outperforming 99% of all outputs of the same age. These metrics highlight the global interest in her work and her influence as a science communicator.

Originally from Brazil, Dr Peel has lived in Australia for over two decades, building a fulfilling life with her husband and children.