Dr Silvia Pignata is a Senior Lecturer in Aviation (Human Factors) in STEM, and a member of the Centre for Workplace Excellence at UniSA. She is an interdisciplinary researcher with a background in work and organisational psychology. Silvia has expertise in psychosocial safety and organisational interventions and strategies that incorporate well-being and morale building activities, particularly their potential to reduce psychological strain. She was a Chief Investigator on an ARC Discovery Project entitled "Digital communication and work stress in universities: a multilevel study" (DP190100853) together with Professors Maureen Dollard, Tony Winefield, Kurt Lushington, and Arnold Bakker [The Netherlands].
Silvia’s research has an applied focus with 45+ publications that include her internationally recognised “Handbook of Research on Stress and Well-being in the Public Sector” that she edited with Canadian Professor Ronald Burke for Edward Elgar publishers with contributions from over 40 leading national and international researchers.
Prior to commencing with UniSA Engineering/STEM in 2013, Silvia spent over 20 years working in the public sector and in consultancy. Her other research interests include aviation psychology and human factors; academic stress in university students; the psychosocial aspects of occupational health and safety; and the interaction of people and socio-technical systems within the work environment. Her Ph.D research is titled “Stress interventions: Their impact on psychological well-being and work attitudes in Australian university staff”.