Dr Karina Rune joined UniSC as a full-time Lecturer in Psychology in 2018. Previously, Karina had worked at USC as a sessional tutor/lecturer and research assistant while completing her PhD. Prior to this, she completed both her bachelor and honours degree in psychology at USC .
Since 2019, Karina has been the course coordinator for the two major Introduction to Psychology A & B Courses at USC adapting a flipped classroom model to both courses. Karina is also the Blended Learning lead for the School of Social Sciences. She has a passion for the inclusion of new learning technologies, flipped classroom and student lead learning, drawing on her own experiences as mature aged student.
Karina's research focus is cognitive psychology and, in particular, the role that biased attention plays in eating disorders and chronic pain. From 2015 to 2018, Karina was the project manager of a joint project between USC, Queensland University of Technology and the Australia Defence force looking at chronic pain in Defence members and military veterans. She has also conducted research into road safety and situational awareness in ambulance drivers.
Currently, Karina has research projects with the Butterfly Foundation and BTC Australia looking at adjunct treatments for individuals with eating disorders, including brain stimulation and group therapy. She is also completing a Master of Clinical Psychology and registered with APHRA as a provisional psychologist.
Karina has a master’s degree in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Edinburgh and spent several years living in, and travelling through, the Middle East before settling in Australia in 2003.
Professional Memberships
- Australian Psychological Society
- AHPRA provisional registered Psychologist
Awards
- USC Advance Awards, 2016: AQT - Advancing Quality Teaching. Awarded for teaching staff and teaching teams who engage students in a quality learning experience by applying rich and engaging teaching approaches that substantially improve students’ learning experiences. Awarded to Dr Kate Mulgrew as the team leader and the PSY102 teaching team, 2016
- Nominated for USC Advance Awards, 2016: ASE - Advancing the Student Experience.
- Nominated for USC Advance Awards, 2016: AQT - Advancing Quality Teaching.
- Rotary Postgraduate Scholarship, 2014
- USC Research Scholarship, 2014
- Faculty Commendation for Academic Excellency, 2013
- Ann McDougall Co-op Bookshop Memorial Bursary, 2011-2012
Research Grants
Grant/Project name |
Investigators |
Funding body & A$ value |
Year(s) |
Focus (of research grant) |
Provide support for the embedding of a flipped classroom model into first year Introduction to Psychology A and B courses. | Dr Karina Rune | First year Experience Grant. $4000 |
Potential Research Projects for HDR & Honours Students
- The role of attention bias and impact of attention bias modification of food related stimuli on weight control
- The effect of adjunct treatments for eating disorders
- Learning and teaching including student self-efficacy, self-regulation and learning style
Research areas
- Health and Clinical Psychology (Eating disorders, food consumption, and substance use)
- Cognitive psychology (attention bias and attention bias modification)
- Learning and teaching (the role of self-efficacy, personality, motivation, self-regulation and learning style)
Teaching areas
- Health and Wellbeing
- Introduction to Psychology
Karina's research focus is cognitive psychology and in particular, the role that biased attention plays in eating disorders and chronic pain.