October 29, 2025
The Royal Society of New South Wales was delighted to learn that Professor Angela Nickerson FRSN FASSA, of UNSW Sydney and a former Edgeworth David Medallist, of the Society, was recently elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.
Angela Nickerson is a clinical psychologist who undertakes research into the psychological and social mechanisms underlying refugee mental health. Her research program draws on longitudinal, experimental and intervention studies to identify key drivers of psychological symptoms in refugees. Her research has advanced theoretical models of refugee wellbeing, bringing together previously siloed areas of research to propose causal pathways by which refugees’ environment, psychological skills and social context can influence mental health. Angela’s empirical work has focused on the systematic testing of pathways laid out in these theoretical models. She has elucidated the impact of restrictive immigration policies such as temporary protection, immigration detention and offshore processing on refugee mental health. She has also undertaken basic research to examine the role of key psychological processes, such as moral injury, emotion regulation and self-efficacy on refugee wellbeing. This experimental and longitudinal work has provided a platform for the development and testing of novel psychological interventions for post-traumatic stress disorder in refugees.
Her impact on the field is demonstrated by the awards and prizes, including the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Chaim and Bela Danieli Award (2017), the Edgeworth David Medal from the Royal Society of NSW (2018), and the Australian Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies Mid-Career Award (2023). Angela has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW (2019), and as President of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (2024), for which she also served on the Board of Directors (2018 to 2025). Angela has received numerous research fellowships throughout her career, including the NHMRC Investigator Leadership Grant, NHMRC Clinical Career Development Fellowship, and NHMRC Clinical Early Career Fellowship.
Angela’s work has had a significant impact on policy and practice with refugees. Her research was used to inform the repealing of Temporary Protection Visas for refugees in 2023, and increased community awareness about the mental health effects of restrictive immigration policies. She works closely with leading Australian and international refugee settlement and clinical services to increase access to evidence-based care for refugees, and to inform targeted interventions at an individual and community level.
The Council of the Society extends its warm congratulations to Professor Nickerson on this latest recognition of her outstanding research.
