Lea Waters

Lea Waters AM (born 24 February 1971)[1] is an Australian psychologist, speaker, author and researcher. She is a psychology professor at the University of Melbourne and was the founding director of the Centre for Positive Psychology in the University of Melbourne.[2] In addition, she has affiliate positions at University of Michigan and sits on the Science Board of The University of California and Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. Her main areas of research are positive psychology, organisational psychology, education, leadership and parenting.[3][4]

Lea Waters

AM
Born (1971-02-24) 24 February 1971
Lara, Victoria, Australia
NationalityAustralian
Other namesLea Elizabeth Waters
Alma materUniversity of Melbourne
Deakin University
SpouseMatthew Scholes
Children2
Scientific career
FieldsIndustrial and organizational psychology, School Psychology
InstitutionsUniversity of Melbourne

Waters has published over 110 peer reviewed journals and book chapters.[5][6][7] She has been the President of the International Positive Psychology Association and the Chair of the 6th World Congress in Positive Psychology. Waters was awarded Member of the Order of Australia in 2020.[8]

Early life

Waters received a Bachelor’s Degree with honors in Psychology in 1992 from the University of Melbourne. Waters then received a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology in 1997 from the Deakin University.

Career

From January 1996, Waters has been a researcher and professor at the University of Melbourne.[9] She has been a psychologist for 25 years and is registered with AHRPA, is a member of the Australian Psychological Society and a member of the College of Organizational Psychologists.[10] In 2005, Waters developed her own consultancy business called 'Visible Wellbeing' working with schools and corporations. She is also a gifted speaker and has been on speaking tours across the globe including speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai in 2018. Her work has been featured in the Washington Post,[11] the Toronto Globe and The Sydney Morning Herald.[12][13]

Waters' acclaimed parenting book The Strength Switch[14][15] was listed in Top Reads by Berkeley University’s Greater Good Science Centre and Top 5 Books UK. It has been translated into Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, Hungarian, Arabic, Spanish, French and Russian.[16]

Waters, working with Martin Seligman and St Peter's College, Adelaide, has been instrumental in the development and implementation of positive education programs throughout Australia.[17] Waters is committed to translating research and working with the media. She has written for the Wall Street Journal,[18] TIME.com Magazine, The Atlantic, and The Guardian.[19][20][21] Waters has also appeared on the TEDx Talk. She is the Director of the teacher training program Visible Wellbeing and has developed student e-wellbeing resources for teachers to deliver to students via online and virtual classrooms.[22][23]

Selected publications

Selected awards
  • 2020: Member of the Order of Australia.[8]
  • 2015: Top 100 Women of Influence in Australia, Westpac Bank and Financial Review.[24]
  • 2007: Prime Minister’s Award for Best Australian University Teaching Excellence Award.[25]

Personal life

Waters is married to Matthew Scholes and the couple has two children, Nicholas and Emily.[26]

References
  1. Who's Who in Australia (2019), ConnectWeb.
  2. "Lea Waters's research works | University of Melbourne, Melbourne (MSD) and other places". ResearchGate. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  3. "Strength-based parenting improves children's resilience and stress levels". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  4. "Positive tools for a lifetime". The Sydney Morning Herald. 28 February 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  5. Stark, Jill (1 March 2014). "Can we build a better child?". The Age. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  6. Lewin, Evelyn (15 March 2019). "How cultivating a positive mindset benefits your 'emotional fitness'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  7. "The Strength Switch". ABC Radio National. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  8. "APS members honoured for commitment to psychology | APS". www.psychology.org.au. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  9. "Prof Lea Waters". findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  10. "Focusing on kindness, not consumption, this Christmas". thesector.com.au. 11 December 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  11. "Focus on your child's strengths to help them succeed. Here's how". Washington Post.
  12. "Build on your strengths and be happier at work". www.intheblack.com. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  13. Thompson, Malachi (12 December 2018). "Simply Expressing Gratitude Will Help You Build an Empire". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  14. "How do you avoid 'cabin fever' in COVID-19 isolation?". ABC Radio. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  15. Edwards, Kasey (13 October 2019). "How 'strength-based parenting' is bringing out the best in kids". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  16. Turnbull, Samantha (1 April 2020). "Tips for working from home with kids during the coronavirus pandemic - ABC Life". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  17. Positive Education Schools Association. "PESA History". Positive Education Schools Association. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  18. Waters, Lea (7 July 2017). "The Power of Positive Parenting". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  19. Waters, Lea (17 March 2020). "Silver linings: how to stay positive during the coronavirus crisis". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  20. Waters, Lea (20 March 2020). "'Like an emotional Mexican wave': how coronavirus kindness makes the world seem smaller". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  21. "Kids' Brains Need More Downtime, Research Shows | Voice of America - English". www.voanews.com. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  22. Waters, Lea; Fanner, David (27 March 2020). "Expressing gratitude during the coronavirus crisis – video". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  23. Haziq, Saman. "Teenagers with mental illnesses could slip into relapse". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  24. White, Mathew A.; Slemp, Gavin R.; Murray, A. Simon (16 June 2017). Future Directions in Well-Being: Education, Organizations and Policy. Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-56889-8.
  25. White, Mathew A.; Murray, A. Simon (8 May 2015). Evidence-Based Approaches in Positive Education: Implementing a Strategic Framework for Well-being in Schools. Springer. ISBN 978-94-017-9667-5.
  26. "What is the Strength Switch and Why it Can Help You Flourish with Lea Waters". Retrieved 26 April 2020.
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