Rate My Professor Jules Gross

Dr. Julien (Jules) Gross serves as the Human Ethics Advisor in the Research Integrity Office at the University of Otago, where she provides support to the Human Ethics Committees, ensuring ethical standards in human research. With a PhD in Psychology from the University of Otago earned between 1995 and 1998, Gross has a distinguished career in the Department of Psychology, previously holding positions as Research Associate and Senior Research Fellow. Her academic background is rooted in developmental psychology, with expertise in child development, memory, autobiographical memory, cognitive neuroscience, and cognitive development. Gross's research specializations encompass memory development in children and infants, false memory susceptibility, episodic memory and foresight, eyewitness testimony, childhood amnesia, and the utility of drawing in forensic interviews with children. She has explored how emotional content, mood, trauma, dissociation, and social factors like COVID-19 social distancing influence memory accuracy and reporting thresholds, with applications in clinical, forensic, and educational settings.

Gross has produced over 58 peer-reviewed publications, cited more than 2,157 times, reflecting her substantial influence in cognitive and developmental psychology. Key works include 'Emotional content of the event but not mood influences false memory' (2021), 'How does social distancing during COVID-19 affect negative moods and memory?' (2021), 'Look into my eyes: a "faceless" avatar interviewer lowers reporting threshold for adult eyewitnesses' (2023), 'The avatar face-off: a face(less) avatar facilitates adults’ reports of personal events' (2023), 'False Memory in Borderline Personality Disorder' (2020), 'Drawing Facilitates Children's Verbal Reports After Long Delays' (1999), 'Defining the boundary of childhood amnesia' (2008), and 'Episodic memory and episodic foresight in 3- and 5-year-old children' (2011). She has supervised graduate theses on memory, stereotypes, rapport-building in child interviews, and juror decision-making. Gross contributed to a Marsden Fund Grant awarded to her team with Professor Harlene Hayne and Associate Professor Rachel Zajac. In 2023, she was recognized in the University Staff Awards for wellbeing initiatives. Additionally, she participates in the Psychology Department's green team promoting sustainability and has served as a supervisor for PhD and MSc students.