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Cakil Agnew

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Cakil Agnew

Associate Professor in School of Social Sciences, Psychology, Dr, Doctor

 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6935-315X

  • Riccarton

    EH14 4AS Edinburgh

    United Kingdom

Accepting PhD Students

20092026

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Biography

Dr. Çakıl Agnew is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Heriot‑Watt University Dubai and the Director of the Online MSc in Business and Organisational Psychology. She completed her PhD and postdoctoral training at the University of Aberdeen’s Industrial Psychology Research Centre. An industrial psychologist with a strong foundation in Human Factors and Applied Psychology, her previous work examines the role of safety, leadership, and organisational design in shaping performance, particularly within high‑risk and safety‑critical industries, and she has engaged in consultancy work across sectors including Healthcare, Oil and Gas, Transport, and Aviation.

Dr. Agnew is a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society (BPS) and a Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA). She supervises PhD students and maintains an applied research and consultancy portfolio. She is also a Member of the Association for Business Psychology (ABP) and serves as a Board Member for the Society for Business Psychology – Middle East, contributing to regional professional development and practitioner engagement. Her current work includes projects on organisational wellbeing and sustainability behaviours in higher education, developed through collaborations with regional partners and international institutions.

Research interests

Cakil’s research spans Human Factors, organisational psychology, and applied scholarship in higher‑education contexts. Her previous work focuses on safety, leadership, and organisational design in high‑risk and safety‑critical industries, examining how systems, culture, and non‑technical skills shape performance across sectors such as healthcare, oil and gas, aviation, transport, and nuclear energy. Her current research extends these applied foundations into organisational wellbeing, behaviour change, sustainability behaviours in higher education, and the scholarship of learning and teaching.

Press Profile

2023

  • Student Story – Al Bayan Newspaper | Discussing postgraduate research on AI tools predicting personality traits in hiring.
  • Expert Comments – Al Ittihad Newspaper | Expressing gratitude for UAE support after the Turkey-Syria earthquake.

2024

  • Opinion Piece – Kul Al Usra Lifestyle Magazine | Advice for students on choosing university majors and overcoming psychological challenges.
  • Opinion Piece – Nafseyati (Psychology Platform) | Insights on the positive aspects of stress and how to harness it for growth during Stress Awareness Month.
  • Feature – Gulf News | Discussing Chronoworking and the impact of prioritising productivity over well-being on mental health and work-life balance.

2025

  • Opinion Piece – Al Jawhara Magazine | Midlife career pivots and the use of AI companions for emotional support.
  • Opinion Piece – Education UAE | Highlighting early-career professional stress and the need for organisational interventions.
  • Opinion Piece – Kul Al Usra Lifestyle Magazine | Analysis of social media trends, influencer culture, and their impact on consumer identity and self-worth.
  • Industry Feature – Al Khaleej Newspaper | Guidance for parents on balancing children’s social media use and online safety.
  • Industry Feature – Al Bayan Newspaper | Benefits of the winter break for student well-being and considerations on AI companions’ effect on social connections.

External positions

Visiting Professor, Abdullah Gül University

2024 → …

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  1. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
  2. SDG 4 - Quality Education
    SDG 4 Quality Education
  3. SDG 5 - Gender Equality
    SDG 5 Gender Equality
  4. SDG 13 - Climate Action
    SDG 13 Climate Action

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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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