Amanda Cooklin

Dr Amanda Cooklin is a social scientist and Senior Research Fellow / ARC Future Fellow at the Judith Lumley Centre at La Trobe University, leading the Work and Family Research Program; and co-lead of the Centre's 'Transition to Contemporary Parenthood Program'. She has established expertise in the epidemiology of parents' mental health, the social determinants of parenting, and the work-family interface.

Her research comprises epidemiological cohort studies and intervention trials, with a focus on establishing the longitudinal relationships between parents' mental health (anxiety, depression, fatigue), parenting and children's outcomes and the role of parents' employment, job quality and work-family balance on parent mental health and parenting. Dr Cooklin has attracted $5.8 million in research funding, resulting in >50 scientific publications on parents’ work and wellbeing. She has also presented widely on this topic.

Dr Cooklin is also one of the University’s Tracey Banivanua Mar Research Fellows. The goal of the Tracey Banivanua Mar Fellowship is to ensure that staff who have demonstrated potential to be our future research leaders and who have major caring responsibilities can maintain their career momentum and be supported to fulfil their research potential.

Dr Cooklin’s research carer has always been conducted in the context of caring for her three children. She is passionate about creating an inclusive research culture that supports academics with caring responsibilities. She strongly believes that a successful academic career can be conducted part-time and without compromising work/life balance and through her Fellowship is working with the University to ensure that caring work does not pose barriers to career progression.