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Cyberpsychology Research Group

Investigating the impact of technology on human behaviour
We are dedicated to working with industry partners, NGOs and government organisations on digital solutions that aim to positively impact societal and health outcomes, as well as expanding education and training in the field of cyberpsychology, digital health and cyber security.

Announcement: IDCARE Cyberpsychology Research PhD Scholarships

IDCare logo

Duration: 3 years

Amount: $40k per annum

Research Priority topics for PhD Candidates:

  • Understanding the psychology of deception and its treatments
  • Generative AI, deep fakes and at scale deception
  • Deception response as a socio-technical system
  • Full details are available here

Successful candidates may be extended an opportunity to work up to 26 hours per week at IDCARE, Australia's national identity and cyber support service. This is a separate recruitment process managed by IDCARE, but for the right candidate presents an excellent opportunity to ground research with real-world contemporary and relevant experience. The role extended will be influenced by the research program undertaken, IDCARE priorities, and candidate interests. When expressing interest in the PhD scholarship, candidates are to indicate whether they would also like to be considered for employment with IDCARE.The Candidate’s contact information and application will also be forwarded to IDCARE for an initial assessment. For more details about IDCARE’s handling of personal information, please see their Privacy Policy.

To express interest in applying for the above scholarship, please contact the Chair of the CRG, Associate Professor Andrew Campbell, by email listing your topic of interest and providing a current CV detailing your education and any work experience.

E: andrew.campbell@sydney.edu.au


About us

The Cyberpsychology Research Group (CRG) at The University of Sydney was established in 2017 as Australia’s first research team to investigate the impact of consumer technologies (such as smartphones, video games, social networking, wearable technology, VR and AI) on human behaviour. Since its inception, this multidisciplinary translational research team has grown exponentially to provide education and research training in applied psychology, cyber security, consumer user experience testing, and innovation development in human centred computing. We are recognised internationally by other esteemed higher learning institutes and the World Health Organisation through our published papers and reports.

The CRG works closely with industry partners and international research and teaching institutes to establish an evidence-base for digital solutions that aim to positively impact health and broader issues related to cyber security.

The Cyberpsychology Research Group

An archive of selected CRG television and radio appearances can be found on our YouTube channel.

Our research

Our specific research looks at individual and group attitudes, cognition, and behavioural outcomes arising from the use of personal and organisational digital technology. Research areas of focus include:

  • digital mental health
  • cyber security and online deception
  • digital therapies
  • online counselling
  • social media
  • internet addiction
  • cyberbullying
  • artificial intelligence
  • mobile applications and wearable technology
  • virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality
  • games and gamification for health.
  • My Circle: Giving young people choice, and control, of their mental health support. (partnership with Yourtown and Bupa Health Foundation)
  • APY-Project: Determining priorities for Aussie-Pacific Youths’ health and wellbeing in the digital era
  • The use of online communities by health professionals
  • Implementation of Virtual Reality intervention for adolescent distress in emergency departments (partnership with Western Sydney Local Health District)
  • The effect of videogaming on social capital: Exploring relationships online
  • How authentic self-expression on social media relates to personality, self-concept and self-disclosure behaviours
  • Providing self-led mental health support through Artificial Intelligence
  • Instagram and well-being: Multi-project research investigating the relationships between motivation, online behaviours, Instagram context, and social support and well-being
  • The application of socio-technical systems methods to predict compliance and interventions during brand-impersonation scams. Partnership with ANU and Monash University; Lacey, D., Goode, S., Campbell, A., Whitty, M., Ridout, B.; Amazon and IDCARE, 2023-2024.
  • My Circle: Giving young people choice, and control, of their mental health support. Partnership with Yourtown; Campbell, A., Ridout, B.; Bupa Health Foundation, 2020-2022.
  • Impact of Social Media on Myanmar Youth. Ridout, B., & Campbell, A.; Save The Children, 2019.
  • KHL Circles: Efficacy trial of Kids Helpline Circles - A secure online social network for young people; Campbell, A. & Ridout, B.; Yourtown, 2016–2019.
  • Experiences of the Family Law Court Circuit for Children who use social network support for their journey; Campbell, A. & Ridout, B.; Family Law Society, 2016.
  • Evaluation of SANE Australia Thriving Communities project; Goggin G., Smith-Merry, J., Campbell, A., Hutchinson, J., Ridout, B., McKenzie, K., Werder, O. & Curtis, R.; National Mental Health Commission, 2016–2017.
  • Virtual World Health Interview training for Health Sciences professionals; Campbell, A.; Office of Learning and Teaching, 2011–2012.
  • Campbell, A., Ridout, B., Amon, K., Collyer, B., & Dalgleish, J. (2019). A customized social network platform (Kids Helpline Circles) for delivering group counseling to young people experiencing family discord that impacts their well-being: Exploratory study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(12), e16176.
  • Ridout, B., McKay, M., Amon, K., & Campbell, A. (2019). Impact of social media on youth living in conflict-affected regions of Myanmar. London, UK: The University of Sydney & Save The Children International.
  • Ridout, B. (2019). Drinking norms and alcohol identities in the context of social media interactions among university students: An overview of relevant literature. In D. Conroy & F. Measham (Eds.), Young adult drinking styles: Current perspectives on research, policy and practice (pp. 115-132). London, UK: Palgrave MacMillan.
  • Naylor, M., Morrison, B., Ridout, B., & Campbell, A. (2019). Augmented experiences: Investigating the feasibility of virtual reality as part of a workplace wellbeing intervention. Interacting with Computers, iwz033.
  • Kelson, J., Rollin, A., Ridout, B., & Campbell, A. (2019). Internet-delivered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for anxiety treatment: Systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(1), e12530
  • Ridout, B., & Campbell, A. (2018). The use of social networking sites in mental health interventions for young people: Systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 20(12), 1-11.
  • Rollin, A., Ridout, B., & Campbell, A. (2018). Digital health in melanoma posttreatment care in rural and remote Australia: Systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 29(9), e11547 p.1-e11547 p.10.
  • Gestos, M., Smith-Merry, J., & Campbell, A. (2018). Representation of females in video games: A systematic review of the literature in consideration of adult female wellbeing. Cyberpsychology, Behaviour and Social Networking, 21(9), 535-541.
  • Fullwood, C., Chadwick, D., Keep, M., Attrill-Smith, A., Asbury, T., & Kirwan, G. (2019). Lurking towards empowerment: Explaining propensity to engage with online health support groups and its association with positive outcomes. Computers in Human Behavior, 90, 131-140.
  • Brunner, M., McGregor, D., Keep, M., Janssen, A., Spallek, H., Quinn, D., Jones, A., Tseris, E., Yeung, W., Togher, L., Shaw, T., et al (2018). An eHealth capabilities framework for graduates and health professionals: Mixed-methods study. JMIR Research Protocols, 20(5), e10229.
  • Campbell, A., Ridout, B., Linden, M., Collyer, B., & Dalgleish, J. (2018). A preliminary understanding of search words used by children, teenagers and young adults in seeking information about depression and anxiety online. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 12, 1-4.
  • Campbell, A., Ridout, B., Amon, K., Collyer, B., & Dalgleish, J. (2018). Kids Helpline Circles: Findings from participant action research in the development of a secure national mental health social network. Paper presented at the Cyberpsychology, Cybertherapy & Social Networking Conference, Gatineau, Canada.
  • Cochrane, K., Loke, L., de Bérigny, C., & Campbell, A. (2018). Sounds in the moment: designing an interactive EEG nature soundscape for novice mindfulness meditators. Proceedings of the 30th Australian Conference on Computer-Human Interaction, Pages 298-302.

Course and degree programs

We provide education in the field of cyberpsychology, digital mental health and cyber security, offering a range of course options for undergraduate students interested in initial training in cyberpsychology, with more advanced programs for graduate and post-doctoral researchers.

If you would like an introduction to cyberpsychology or digital health, our team teaches the following units for all undergraduate students at The University of Sydney to enrol in as electives (pending availability of your enrolled degree course). We welcome existing University of Sydney undergraduate students as well as international exchange, or study abroad students:

BIDH3146 – Cyberpsychology in Digital Health
HSBH2009 – Innovations in eHealth
BIDH3008 – Digital health in practice

Our team members regularly supervise small research projects for fourth year (honours year) students at The University of Sydney.

If you are interested in enrolling in an Honours year and want to complete a small research project in cyberpsychology or eHealth, please contact our team members directly to discuss your project ideas and to determine if we can accommodate supervising you.

Visit the profiles of our research leaders in the 'our people' section of this page to review our supervisor research areas and to contact a potential supervisor for your HDR program.

If you are interested in a career in Cyberpsychology or digital health, why not consider undertaking a Higher Degree by Research (HDR) as a Masters or PhD candidate in a specific interest area?

Our team have supervised many Masters and PhD students to graduation in the areas of e-mental health, serious games, online counselling, social networking for health and behaviour change, to name but a few broad areas valued by industry, government and research sectors.

If you are considering enrolling in a HDR program, please first speak with a potential supervisor about your proposed project and career goals.

Visit the profiles of our research leaders in the 'our people' section of this page to review our supervisor research areas and to contact a potential supervisor for your HDR program.

Please also see the announcement above regarding IDCARE Cyberpsychology Research PhD Scholarship opportunities.

The CRG welcomes enquiries from potential post-doctoral researchers seeking Early Career Research (ECR) experience within our team. Please contact Associate Professor Andrew Campbell to discuss existing or future opportunities.

 

In the media

Cyberpsychology Research Group (CRG) team members are regularly interviewed in the national and international media and sourced for speaking events. Below is a selection of our more topical media appearances and press releases over the years.

An archive of selected CRG television and radio appearances can be found on the Sydney Cyberpsychology Research Group YouTube channel.


For real-time updates, follow us on Twitter ‘X’ or Instagram.

Our people

  • Mr Matthew Naylor, PhD Candidate
  • Ms Ash King, PhD Candidate
  • Mr Trent Hammond, PhD Candidate
  • Ms Emma van der Schyff, PhD Candidate
  • Dr Sophie Brassel (Alumni PhD – Graduated Oct 2023)
  • Ms Jocelyn Brewer (Alumni Masters – Graduated Dec 2022)
  • Dr Karen Cochrane (Alumni PhD – Graduated March 2021)
  • Dr Audrey Rollin (Alumni PhD – Graduated Dec 2021)
  • Dr Joshua Kelson (Alumni PhD- Graduated Sept 2017)
  • Professor Stephan Bouchard
  • Professor Neil Coulson
  • Professor Scott Debb
  • Professor Thomas Parsons
  • Professor Eric Malbos
  • Professor Kate Steinbeck
  • Professor Leanne Togher
  • Professor Brenda Wiederhold

The Cyberpsychology Research Group (CRG) collaborates on research projects with industry partners, education institutes, NGOs and Government. Below are some of our previous and existing partners in research:

  • IDCARE
  • Kids Helpline
  • Save the Children
  • BUPA Health Foundation
  • Western Sydney Local Health District
  • Wellbeing Health and Youth – NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Adolescent Health
  • The Children’s Hospital at Westmead
  • Office for Learning and Teaching
  • Future Generation Investment Company
  • Family Court of Australia
  • Sane Australia
  • Knox Grammar School

Research leader

Headshot of Dr Andew Campbell
Associate Professor Andrew Campbell
View academic profile

Where we're located

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