Cassie Hayward (Govan), PhD
Managing Director
cassie@empiricaresearch.com.au
Cassie thrives on taking the science of attitude and behaviour change and combining it with her love of advertising and communications – the combination of academic theory and real-world application and insight.
After receiving her PhD in experimental social psychology, Cassie spent two years in the US as a Research Associate and Co-Director of the Behavioral Lab at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. Maintaining her links with academia, Cassie is also an Associate Professor in the University of Melbourne’s School of Psychological Sciences where she heads up the Master of Applied Psychology. She has published in top academic journals, written chapters for academic books, and has presented at psychology and marketing conferences across the USA and Australia.
When not working, Cassie and Richard spend their time running after their three young kids…
Meg Allan, Bachelor of Behavioural Science and Business, Master of Applied Psychology
Senior Researcher
Meg started her research journey in 2016 as a CATI Interviewer at the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office where she conducted interviews with recently graduated Year 12 students to discuss their chosen pathways after graduating high school. She joined the Empirica team in 2021 as a researcher, where she has further developed her interviewing skills, as well as gained experience in survey building, quantitative data analysis and report writing.
Meg has a Bachelor of Behavioural Science and Business (majoring in Public Relations) from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and a Master of Applied Psychology from the University of Melbourne. She has a particular interest in integrating her knowledge of human behaviour, data analytics and communications to generate valuable business insights.
Outside of work and study Meg enjoys exploring Melbourne’s best restaurants, cafes and shops.
Luca Noonan, Bachelor of Arts (Psychology); Master of Applied Psychology
Senior Researcher
Luca joined the Empirica team in 2023 as a researcher, eager to apply his expertise in research methods and behaviour change to help clients achieve their goals.
Luca attended the University of Melbourne, completing a Bachelor of Arts (double majoring in Psychology and Screen & Cultural Studies), and recently completed a Master of Applied Psychology. He is particularly interested in consumer journeys, habits, and how people engage with media and culture.
Outside of work, Luca plays video games, does puzzles, and makes the most of Melbourne’s live music, nightlife, and restaurants.
Gemma Cook, Bachelor of Arts (Psychology); Master of Applied Psychology
Researcher
Gemma joined the Empirica team in 2024 as a researcher, driven to apply her knowledge in psychology and applied research methods to deliver actionable insights for clients.
Gemma attended the University of Melbourne, completing a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Psychology, and recently completed a Master of Applied Psychology.
At Empirica, Gemma is interested in narrative and concept testing, particularly in how these methods can be used to influence better health and social outcomes.
When not at work, Gemma enjoys the music and theatre scene, whether it’s attending shows, or playing and making music at home on the piano.
Mia Medwin
Designer
At Empirica we believe in substance and style – it’s important to us that the information we provide to our clients is presented in a way that is easy on the eye as well as easy to read. That’s where our visual designer, Mia, comes in. With decades of experience in market research and visual design, Mia applies her careful touch to all of our documents to ensure that our clients receive professional and engaging reports.
Empirica Research Think Tank
In addition to our core team of researchers, Empirica offers the unique ability to connect with a group of esteemed academics from around the world. Known as our “Think Tank”, they partner with us on select projects.
Michael Norton, PhD. Harvard Business School. Michael is the Harold M. Brierley Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, and a member of Harvard’s Behavioral Insights Group. His two major areas of research interest are the impact of social norms on our behaviour and the application of behavioral economics. Michael has worked with Empirica on a project for the ACTU on Australians perceptions of wealth inequality.
Patrick Vargas, PhD. University of Illinois. Patrick is a Professor of Advertising at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is a social psychologist and his research focuses on attitudes, attitude measurement, stereotyping and persuasion. His work is published in leading academic journals. He has also conducted research that examines the ethics of 'direct to consumer' pharmaceutical advertising.
Simon Laham, PhD. University of Melbourne. Simon is an Associate Professor in the School of Psychological Sciences. His academic research focuses on the psychology of morality and on the non-verbal communication of attitudes, beliefs and values. He is currently working with Empirica on a project exploring the psychology of donation.
Nick Haslam, PhD. University of Melbourne. Nick is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Melbourne. He has a unique combination of academic and applied experience on barriers to self-change. He also has been a pioneer in new statistical techniques that can be applied to classification and segmentation analysis. Broadly, his research covers areas such as social relationships, statistical methods, stereotyping and prejudice.
Sebastien Brion, PhD. IESE Business School. Sebastien is an Associate Professor of Managing People in Organizations at IESE Business School. He holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. In his research, he explores the psychological effects of power, focusing on the attainment, maintenance, and loss of power in group and organizational settings.
Jennifer Overbeck, PhD. Melbourne Business School. Jennifer is an Professor of Management at the Melbourne Business School. Her research focuses on the effects of power and status on interpersonal and group dynamics, how hierarchies develop, how leaders can bolster their images, and how emotions and communication patterns affect negotiations.
Amy Cuddy, PhD. Amy and her collaborators have developed a substantial body of research that focuses on judgments of other people and groups along two core trait dimensions, warmth and competence, which shape and motivate social emotions, intentions, and behaviours. She examines how these social perception and influence processes play out in domains such as hiring, promotion, and charitable giving, for example. Amy and Cassie worked together on a paper examining the impact of Qantas twitter promotions during a grounding.
Jon Krosnick, PhD. Stanford University. Jon is the Frederic O. Glover Professor in Humanities and Social Sciences at Stanford University. He also holds professorships in Communication, Political Science and Psychology. He is the author of four books and more than 140 articles and chapters. He conducts research in attitude change, the psychology of political behaviour, and the optimal design of questionnaires. He is our go-to guru for survey design!