Lecturer
- About
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- School/Department
- Business School
Biography
I am a lecturer in Management (Organisational Psychology) and a Chartered Occupational Psychologist (HCPC). I received my Phd from the University of Nottingham (2007) and undertook an EPSRC postdoctorate (Risk and the design engineer) at Loughborough University (2007-2009). I have worked at Exeter, Sussex and Bournemouth Universities. Between 2015-2017 I worked in the 3rd sector on projects equalities, women and work.
In my research I use principles of Psychology to address the following questions:
- How does intersectionality, identity and equality effect the women's experience of work and their wellbeing?
- How might we design diversity programmes to address more obvious but also hidden inequalities at work?
- How are marginalised communities in Society, impacted further by workplace inequalities ?
I have published my work in journals such as Human Relations, Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, Journal of Management, Personnel Review and Work and Stress, amongst others. I have received funding from the Economics and Social Sciences Research Council (ESRC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), The Big Lottery (UK) and The Railway Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), among others. My research informs UN's sustainable goal 5 (Equality for Women and Girls). More information about this research can be found by accessing the following link: Equality for Every Woman and Girl - At Work.
I am a member of the strategic EDI board of the British Psychological Society (BPS). And currently the Chair of the Business School EDI committee.
I welcome queries from Phd students who are interested in pursuing doctoral research in my areas of interest. Also queries from those in the third sector working with minority and marginalised communities.
Memberships and Affiliations
- Internal Memberships
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I am the Chair for the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) committee of the Business School, at the University of Aberdeen.
- External Memberships
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I am a board member of the EDI board of the British Psychological Society. And a member of the ESRC peer review college.
Prizes and Awards
Grants and awards
ESRC IAA fund (Sussex University) (2021-2022) Food as identity and food as enterprise: Assisting economic empowerment of women refugees through including intersectionality lead start-up strategies for food-related enterprise. Wimalasiri, V. Bessant, J. Vignoles, V. and Industry Partners – Diversity Business Incubator.
Bournemouth University GCRH funding (2019) Identifying the needs of women refugees and asylum seekers in Devon in relation to finding and engaging in employment and careers. In partnership with Devon County Council. Wimalasiri, V.
The Lloyds Bank Social entrepreneurs start up programme, in partnership with the school of social entrepreneurs (SSE) and jointly funded by the Big Lottery (2018). Woman's Work: Reconnecting women refuges back to work. Oct 2017 – Oct 2018. Wimalasiri, V.
ESRC Impact cultivation award and social policy network funding (via University of Exeter), (2014) Creativity in the Emergency Services. Wimalasiri, V, Black, S. and Robinson, M. (in collaboration with South West Ambulance Services)
EPSRC Bridging the gaps fund (via University of Exeter), (2011) With Drurie, R. Wyatt K. Craft A. et al. Creativity: A multidisciplinary perspective. Wimalasiri, V with Drurie, Wyatt, Craft et al
Seedcorn grant, School of Management, University of Plymouth (2010) Wimalasiri, V. Transfer of non-technical skills to assist problem-solving in A&E contexts.
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) (2007) Risk and the Design Engineer. Daniels, K.J., Cheyne, A.J.T., Cohen, L., Hislop, D., Wimalasiri, V.,& Beesley, N.
British Academy of Management (2009) Funding for seminar series for special interest group in Organizational Psychology held in Universities Cambridge, Loughborough, Warwick, and the Open University. Billsberry J. and Wimalasiri V.
Funding and scholarship awarded for Phd: Developing Solutions Scholarship (University of Nottingham) + Railway Safety and Standards Board funding (2002-2005)
- Research
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Funding and Grants
Research funding
ESRC IAA (2021-2022) Wimalasiri, V, Bessant, J., Vignoles, V., and Industry partners - Food as identity and food as enterprise.
Bournemouth University GCRH funding (2019) Wimalsiri V. Identifying the needs of women refugees and asylum seekers in Devon. In partnership with Exeter City Council.
The Lloyds Bank Social entrepreneurs start up programme, in partnership with the School of Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) and jointly funded by the Big lottery Wimalasiri, V.
ESRC impact cultivation award and social policy funding (University of Exeter) (2011) Drurie, R., Wyatt, K., Craft, A., Wimalasiri, V. Creativity: A multidisciplinary perspective
EPSRC (2007-2009) Risk and design engineer. Daniels, K., Cheyne, A.J.T., Cohen, L, Hislop, D., Beesley, N., Wimalasiri, V.
Other Funding
Wherle, K., Alonso, A., Buiter, A., Koessler, F., Pajic,S., van Rossenberg, Y., Wimalasiri, V., Searle, R., (2024) Unpacking the role of Work and organizational Psychology for Forced Migration and Displacement. European Association for Work and Organizational Psychology (EAWOP) Small group meeting funding
Billsberry J. and Wimalasiri, V. (2009) British Academy of Management. British Academy of Management. Seminar series for special interest group in Work and Organizational Psychology.
- Publications
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Gender-Word-Identity conflict and perceived equality at the job level: Implications for diversity management
Contributions to Conferences: Oral PresentationsDisplacement-plurality (D-P) in women refugees, its influence on work seeking, engagement and implications for workplace diversity practice: a reflective and critical review
Personnel Review, vol. 51, no. 9, pp. 2061-2080Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-04-2020-0305
Plymouth’s approach to enabling refugee women into employment and the government action required to prevent ongoing, sustained poverty and isolation within this population
Commissioned by Plymouth City Council. University of SussexBooks and Reports: Commissioned ReportsEthical and Methodological dilemmas in research with Refugee populations: At the intersection of Gender, Displacement and Work
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference ProceedingsFactors that influence women refugees vocational choices of women refugees during resettlement: An appreciative and critical review and a framework to guide future research.
Contributions to Conferences: PapersThe role of Business Schools in creating a fairer minded society: The Case of raising the real stories about Refugees/ Asylum seekers and work to Business Audiences.
Contributions to Conferences: PapersSafety Climate and increased risk: The role of deadlines in design work.
Human Relations, vol. 69, no. 5, pp. 1185Contributions to Journals: ArticlesCan work in High Risk Organisations (HROs') provide deeper insights into Organizational Creativity theory?
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference ProceedingsAutomation and Human-Machine interaction
Work and Occupational Psychology: Integrating theory and practice. Zibarras, L., Lewis, R. (eds.). Sage PublicationsChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersProblem solving and well-being: Exploring the instrumental role of job control and social support
Journal of Management, vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 1016-1043Contributions to Journals: ArticlesUtilizing job resources: Qualitative evidence of the roles of job control and social support in problem solving
Work & Stress, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 200-221Contributions to Journals: ArticlesAffective Well-Being and Within-Day Beliefs about Job Demands’ Influence on Work Performance: An Experience Sampling Study
The Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, vol. 85, no. 4, pp. 666-674Contributions to Journals: ArticlesLinking the demands-control-support model to innovation: The moderating role of personal initiative on the generation and implementation of ideas
The Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, vol. 84, no. 3, pp. 581-598Contributions to Journals: ArticlesWhen rebelling against the system becomes a good thing: lessons learnt from the banking crisis
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference ProceedingsConstrained innovation: How designers innovate within the boundaries of safety
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference ProceedingsProblem-solving and emotion: regulation in action
Contributions to Conferences: PapersSocial construction of the aetiology of designer error in the UK oil and gas industry: a stakeholder perspective.
Journal of Engineering Design, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 49-73Contributions to Journals: ArticlesAn Experience Sampling Study of Beliefs about Work Demands': Influence on Affect and Cognitive Performance.
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference ProceedingsAn investigation of safety related-attitudes of designers in the safety-critical industries
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference ProceedingsSafety Climate and Sociocognitive Factors’ Impact on Safety Critical Design.
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference ProceedingsIs it Safe Enough Not to Think About Safety? The Paradoxical Impact of Positive Safety Climate and Socio-Cognitive Factors on Safety Critical Design and its Implications for Managers.
Contributions to Conferences: Papers'Behind Regulation: The Designers Perspective'
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference ProceedingsControl, Support and Designer Problem-Solving: Relationships to Cognitive Error, Affect Well-Being and Performance'.
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference ProceedingsCoping processes linking the demands-control-support model, affect and risky decisions at work
Human Relations, vol. 61, no. 6Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726708093543
Coping with Problem-Solving Demands: Examining how Control and Support Influence Cognitive Error and Risky Decisions in Nuclear Design Work.
Contributions to Conferences: Oral Presentations