Professor Sharon Parker
Distinguished Contribution to Psychological Science Award

Award type: Science

Professor Sharon K. Parker is an ARC Laureate Fellow, John Curtin Distinguished Professor at Curtin University, and Director of the Centre for Transformative Work Design in Perth, Western Australia.

A globally recognised leader in organisational behaviour, her research examines work design, proactivity, performance, mental health and organisational change.

Professor Parker is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences and the Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology. Her outstanding contributions have been recognised through numerous awards, including the WA Premier's Scientist of the Year Award and People’s Choice Award (2024), ARC’s Kathleen Fitzpatrick Award and the Academy of Management OB Division Mentoring Award.

With over 280 publications and more than 57,000 citations, she ranks among the top 0.08% of scholars globally in Business and Management. Her international influence is reflected in her inclusion in the Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers List (top 1%) and Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists for four consecutive years.

Beyond academia, Professor Parker has secured over $70 million in competitive funding and worked extensively with industry and government. As founder of the SMART model and co-founder of the Thrive at Work Initiative, she has transformed research into real-world impact, shaping healthier, more effective workplaces across Australia and beyond.

She leads the Landmark Study on sexual harassment and mental health in the mining sector, as well the Design For Care initiative in the health care and social assistance sector. She is on several high profile national and international committees and boards.