Dr Varuni Wimalasiri

Dr Varuni Wimalasiri
Dr Varuni Wimalasiri
Dr Varuni Wimalasiri

Lecturer

About
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

I am the Chair for the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) committee of the Business School, at the University of Aberdeen.

External Memberships

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

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

    Wimalasiri, V., Bovingdon, R., Shrivastava, M.
    Contributions to Conferences: Oral Presentations
  • Displacement-plurality (D-P) in women refugees, its influence on work seeking, engagement and implications for workplace diversity practice: a reflective and critical review

    Wimalasiri, V.
    Personnel Review, vol. 51, no. 9, pp. 2061-2080
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Plymouth’s approach to enabling refugee women into employment and the government action required to prevent ongoing, sustained poverty and isolation within this population

    Wimalasiri, V.
    Commissioned by Plymouth City Council. University of Sussex
    Books and Reports: Commissioned Reports
  • Ethical and Methodological dilemmas in research with Refugee populations: At the intersection of Gender, Displacement and Work

    Wimalasiri, V.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
  • Factors that influence women refugees vocational choices of women refugees during resettlement: An appreciative and critical review and a framework to guide future research.

    Wimalasiri, V.
    Contributions to Conferences: Papers
  • The 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.

    Wimalasiri, V.
    Contributions to Conferences: Papers
  • Safety Climate and increased risk: The role of deadlines in design work.

    Daniels, K., Beesley, N., Cheyne, A., Wimalasiri, V.
    Human Relations, vol. 69, no. 5, pp. 1185
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Can work in High Risk Organisations (HROs') provide deeper insights into Organizational Creativity theory?

    Wimalasiri, V., Galley, D.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
  • Automation and Human-Machine interaction

    Wimalasiri, V.
    Work and Occupational Psychology: Integrating theory and practice. Zibarras, L., Lewis, R. (eds.). Sage Publications
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters
  • Problem solving and well-being: Exploring the instrumental role of job control and social support

    Daniels, K., Beesley, N., Wimalasiri, V., Cheyne, A.
    Journal of Management, vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 1016-1043
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Utilizing job resources: Qualitative evidence of the roles of job control and social support in problem solving

    Daniels, K., Glover, J., Beesley, N., Wimalasiri, V., Cohen, L., Cheyne, A., Hislop, D.
    Work & Stress, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 200-221
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Affective Well-Being and Within-Day Beliefs about Job Demands’ Influence on Work Performance: An Experience Sampling Study

    Daniels, K., Wimalasiri, V., Beesley, N., Cheyne, A.
    The Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, vol. 85, no. 4, pp. 666-674
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Linking the demands-control-support model to innovation: The moderating role of personal initiative on the generation and implementation of ideas

    Daniels, K., Wimalasiri, V., Cheyne, A., Story, V.
    The Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, vol. 84, no. 3, pp. 581-598
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • When rebelling against the system becomes a good thing: lessons learnt from the banking crisis

    Wimalasiri, V., Simon, A.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
  • Constrained innovation: How designers innovate within the boundaries of safety

    Cheyne, A., Wimalasiri, V., Cohen, L., Hislop, D., Beesley, N., Daniels, K.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
  • Problem-solving and emotion: regulation in action

    Daniels, K., Beesley, N., Wimalasiri, V., Cheyne, A., Cohen, L., Hislop, D.
    Contributions to Conferences: Papers
  • Social construction of the aetiology of designer error in the UK oil and gas industry: a stakeholder perspective.

    Wimalasiri, V., Beesley, N., Cheyne, A., Daniels, K.
    Journal of Engineering Design, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 49-73
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • An Experience Sampling Study of Beliefs about Work Demands': Influence on Affect and Cognitive Performance.

    Daniels, K., Beesley, N., Wimalasiri, V., Cheyne, A.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
  • An investigation of safety related-attitudes of designers in the safety-critical industries

    Beesley, N., Daniels, K., Cheyne, A., Wimalasiri, V.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
  • Safety Climate and Sociocognitive Factors’ Impact on Safety Critical Design.

    Cheyne, A., Wimalasiri, V., Daniels, K., Beesley, N.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
  • Is 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.

    Wimalasiri, V., Beesley, N., Cheyne, A., Daniels, K.
    Contributions to Conferences: Papers
  • 'Behind Regulation: The Designers Perspective'

    Beesley, N., Cheyne, A., Daniels, K., Wimalasiri, V.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
  • Control, Support and Designer Problem-Solving: Relationships to Cognitive Error, Affect Well-Being and Performance'.

    Beesley, N., Wimalasiri, V., Cheyne, A., Daniels, K.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
  • Coping processes linking the demands-control-support model, affect and risky decisions at work

    Daniels, K., Beesley, N., Cheyne, A., Wimalasiri, V.
    Human Relations, vol. 61, no. 6
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Coping with Problem-Solving Demands: Examining how Control and Support Influence Cognitive Error and Risky Decisions in Nuclear Design Work.

    Daniels, K., Beesley, N., Cheyne, A., Wimalasiri, V.
    Contributions to Conferences: Oral Presentations
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