Rate My Professor Lynette Vernon

Dr. Lynette Vernon earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology from Murdoch University in 2016, with a thesis titled 'The role of problematic technology use for adolescents: The importance of sleep for wellbeing.' Her academic background also includes a Bachelor of Arts (Honours in Psychology), Bachelor of Science, Graduate Diploma in Education, and Graduate Diploma in Psychology, all associated with Murdoch University. From 2013 to 2017, she served as Managing Director and Project Manager for Murdoch's Aspirations and Pathways for University (MAP4U) program within the School of Psychology and Exercise Science, focusing on school-university partnerships to support university aspirations among low socioeconomic status (SES) students from metropolitan and regional areas.

Vernon's research specializations include developmental and social psychology, particularly the impacts of technology use, sleep disruptions, social networking, and cyber-aggression on adolescent psychosocial development and wellbeing. Key publications from her time at Murdoch University encompass 'Mobile Phones in the Bedroom: Trajectories of Sleep Habits and Subsequent Adolescent Psychosocial Development' (2018, Child Development), 'Adolescent Problematic Social Networking and School Experiences: The Mediating Effects of Sleep Disruptions and Sleep Quality' (2015, Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking), 'Mapping Developmental Precursors of Cyber-Aggression: Trajectories of Risk Predict Perpetration and Victimization' (2013, Journal of Youth and Adolescence), and 'Tracking Effects of Problematic Social Networking on Adolescent Psychopathology: The Mediating Role of Sleep Disruptions' (2017, Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology). These works have collectively amassed hundreds of citations, contributing significantly to understandings of technology's role in youth mental health. Following her tenure at Murdoch, Vernon held postdoctoral and research associate positions at Curtin University's National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education and now serves as Senior Research Fellow in the School of Education at Edith Cowan University.