Bio – Nonie J. Finlayson

Expert in research design and communication – spent a decade of my life learning critical thinking and the simplest way to present an idea to any audience.

Professional statistician and data analyst – ever so adept at switching software and learning languages as needed.

Manager and organiser extraordinaire – juggled undergraduates and mentored graduates, all while organising workshops in Cambridge, writing retreats in Scotland, and ski trips in Indiana (who even knew they had snow?!).

Beloved team project manager – led team projects with budgets £1M+, raised project funds, and received the nicest farewell cards.

I was born and raised in outback Australia, but escaped to urban Queensland in time for my schooling. I moved to Brisbane where I completed my honours in Psychological Science (via business and music) at the University of Queensland in 2008. After taking a year off to explore Canada and Europe, I returned to the University of Queensland to complete a PhD in Cognitive Psychology. My doctoral research explored how depth information interacted with our visual search processes, with Phil Grove and Roger Remington in the REAL lab.

After finishing my PhD in 2013, I spent the next five years travelling and working overseas as a researcher in different labs. First in Ohio with Julie Golomb and her Cognitive Neuroscience lab at the Ohio State University Psychology department, then in London with Sam Schwarzkopf and his Lab at UCL’s Department of Experimental Psychology. Then in 2018 I moved back to Brisbane, working for a year with Stefanie Becker at The University of Queensland, before deciding to transition away from academia.

I currently work as a Research Manager for Ipsos Australia, in Public Affairs research.

Qualifications

PhD in Cognitive Psychology, University of Queensland, 2014
Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours Class I), University of Queensland, 2008