Vale Christine Critchley

Dear Colleagues,

We are very sorry to share with you some very sad news. Professor Christine Critchley of the Department of Psychological Sciences, Swinburne University, unexpectedly passed away on Wednesday evening.

Christine has been an important part of the social psychology community and her passing will be felt by many staff and students. Christine believed in universities as unique places for developing and disseminating knowledge, and helping young people advance through education.

Christine began her career as a level B lecturer in 1999. She was instrumental in creating the Social Psychology Research Unit at Swinburne, which laid the foundation for the growth of social psychology there. In research, she was an exemplar of scientific rigour and thoroughness. Her research into trust in technology has been highly influential in Australia and overseas.

Christine was passionate about social justice issues and how social psychology could be applied to solve real problems for people in an evidenced-based manner. She often spoke about issues that affected those who ordinarily do not have a voice and was a fierce advocate of ethical, inclusive and equitable practices at work, and in society more generally.

Christine was particularly generous with her time for students and countless students benefitted from her wisdom and advice. Her dedication to her students is evidenced by the quality of students who graduated from the programs she taught and supervised.

Christine will be remembered for her sense of humour, uncompromising integrity, love of psychology and tireless support of her students. We are grateful for Christine’s significant contributions to our discipline and our community. We offer our deepest sympathies to Christine’s family at this sad time.