Rate My Professor Danielle Mathersul

Dr. Danielle C. Mathersul is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology at Murdoch University, where she serves as a mental health researcher, clinician, and supervisor. She holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience, a Master of Applied Science in Clinical Psychology, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Sydney. Licensed as a clinical psychologist in both Australia and California, Mathersul's career trajectory includes postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Pennsylvania's Boundaries of Anxiety and Depression Laboratory (2014-2016) and the VA Palo Alto Health Care System's War Related Illness and Injury Study Center (2016-2020). She joined Murdoch University in January 2020 and maintains an affiliated role as Clinical Research Scientist at VA Palo Alto.

Mathersul's research focuses on transdiagnostic non-pharmacological interventions for emotional disorders, including PTSD, trauma, depression, anxiety, alcohol use, and chronic pain in Gulf War Illness veterans. Her work examines yoga, mindfulness-based psychotherapies, cognitive behavioral therapy, heart rate variability biofeedback, and autonomic biomarkers to optimize treatment outcomes and identify moderators of response. Key publications include 'Emotion dysregulation and heart rate variability improve in US veterans undergoing treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder' (BMC Psychiatry, 2022), 'Brain and physiological markers of autonomic function are associated with treatment-related improvements in self-reported autonomic dysfunction in Veterans with Gulf War Illness' (Global Advances in Health and Medicine, 2020), 'Yoga is effective in treating symptoms of Gulf War illness' (BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 2023), and 'Chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder: autonomic and neural mechanisms' (Biological Psychology, 2024). With over 1,800 citations on Google Scholar, her contributions advance evidence-based practices in veteran mental health. Mathersul received the Raine Medical Research Foundation Research Collaboration Award in 2024 and served as Scientific Convenor for the AACBT National Conference in 2025.