Behaviour-Brain-Body Research Centre

Building resilient behaviours to enhance human function

Known for our unique approach to building resilient, healthy behaviours, the Behaviour-Brain-Body Research Centre (BBB) investigates people through the combined lens of behaviour, brain and body.

Our team works collaboratively across behavioural change, fatigue, stress management, decision-making and recovery, to predict, prevent, detect and intervene – all with the aim of optimising human function.

At BBB, we blend pure research with real-world contexts to help our community, government and industry partners tackle their thorniest questions and create solutions that support behavioural resilience and promote healthy functioning.

The enterprising way we engage with our partners pivots on our ability to bring together people with different expertise to solve the big challenges of today.

Explore our research

We investigate humans through the combined lens of behaviour, brain and body, rather than a single discipline. Discover more about our approach to building resilient, healthy behaviours.

Engage with us

We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with industry, academia and students – discover how you can partner, study or participate with BBB.

Explore the Behaviour-Brain-Body Research Centre

Our entrepreneurial culture and collaborative approach gives us a competitive edge. We work closely with defence, mining, and health to create solutions that improve cognitive function and promote healthy interactions with technology.

At BBB, we are committed to research that leads to positive change. Our research puts people at the core, allowing them to build resilient behaviours despite what life throws at them.

Research capabilities Research capabilities
Research impact Research impact
Our people Our people
Our partners Our partners

Every day, we rely on others to perform at their best in extreme circumstances. Whether it be surgical teams, firefighters, army and navy personnel, or other shift workers, we need them to function at peak performance, often without sleep and in stressful situations.

Many of us may also be under stress, whether it be from coping with or recovering from illness, managing the pervasiveness of technology, or the complexities of ageing. How do we ensure that people are able to function and be at their best? How do we help people improve their function and build resilient behaviours, despite what life throws at them?

At BBB, we take a bio-behavioural perspective to examine three key areas: enhancing cognitive performance, building resilient behaviours, and behaviour change.

Our research is supported by state-of-the-art facilities. We have facilities for research across the simulation laboratory, virtual reality studios and the Cognitive Ageing and Impairment Neurosciences laboratory.

We also use eye tracking software, virtual reality technology, electroencephalogram (EEG), TCD, chrono-biology and cognitive testing software to gain deeper insights into human perception, behaviour and cognitive processes. By leveraging these advanced tools, we aim to unravel intricate patterns, understand neural mechanisms, and explore the intricacies of human cognition in various contexts. Technological integration allows us to make significant advancements in our understanding of behaviours and enhance our ability to develop innovative solutions for real-world challenges.

We are committed to research that leads to positive change. Our research puts people at the core, allowing them to build resilient behaviours despite what life throws at them. Here are just a few examples of BBB research making a real impact on people’s lives.

Using virtual reality to promote greater independence for people with Down syndrome

In Australia, about 13,000 people live with Down syndrome, many of whom cannot access ongoing life and work skills training due to factors such as cost or accessibility. This directly impacts their ability to live more independent lives.

Working with educators, researchers at BBB are uncovering how virtual reality can be used to develop low-risk, low-cost and highly accessible learning experiences and training that will enable people living with Down syndrome to develop a diverse range of skills to build more confident and independent lives.

Building a competitive edge through enhanced teamwork

Technology and a rapid adaptation to COVID-19 lockdowns transformed the work environment. Increasingly, organisations have a network of remote and distributed teams. But how do we ensure employees are performing optimally in these environments and are taking advantage of all that technology has to offer?

BBB researchers are partnering with global organisations to assess the performance of employees in remote, distributed and machine-teaming environments to develop interventions that enhance team performance and enable superior decision-making.

Understanding and reducing cancer-related cognitive impairment

About 75% of cancer patients undergoing treatment have problems with thinking, attention and memory – known as Cancer Related Cognitive Impairment (CRCI). One third continue to suffer CRCI after treatment, often leaving them in significant emotional distress with a reduced ability to work and difficulties performing everyday tasks.

BBB researchers are working with clinicians and patients to develop interventions that reduce the impact of CRCI, enabling cancer patients to live their best life during and after treatment.

Professor Siobhan Banks

Director Behaviour-Brain-Body Research Centre
Email: Siobhan.Banks@unisa.edu.au

Dr Mitchell Goldsworthy

Director Behaviour-Brain-Body Research Centre
Email: Mitchell.Goldsworthy@unisa.edu.au

Professor Kurt Lushington

Director Behaviour-Brain-Body Research Centre
Email: Kurt.Lushington@unisa.edu.au

We help our community, government and industry partners tackle their toughest challenges and develop solutions that improve cognitive function and promote healthy interactions with technology.

Industry

Experts from BBB regularly work with industry to improve organisational performance and create human-centered solutions. Our skilled facilitators can assist you with strategic planning, intervention and industry development within your area of need.

We have worked more than 100 major Australian companies and groups, including:

Defence Sciences Technology Group
Safework SA
SA Health
Bushfire CRC
Pacific National Rail
Queensland Rail
National Rail
RailCorp (Transport for NSW)

Our international client list is varied and includes major air, rail and transportation companies.

Contact our research team for a confidential conversation about your needs. A consultation will help you better understand how we work, and how we can help you address your challenges.

Academia

We welcome students and researchers with interests in sleep, sleep disorders, fatigue management and/or industrial design to partner with us. Industry and workplace issues such as safety chronobiology, chrononutrition, circadian disruption neuroscience, or neurocognition are all areas of research you can explore.

We offer a research environment with highly experienced and engaged supervisors with a wide range of connections to industry. Our staff regularly supervise honours and PhD students in psychology and psychological science. Our staff and postgraduate students also contribute to teaching across a range of undergraduate, postgraduate and research programs, ensuring they remain industry-informed.

Participate

At BBB, we strive to understand how humans’ health and performance is influenced by sleep, circadian disruption, nutrition and activity.

As part of our work, we often recruit people to participate in research projects.

Depending on the project, you might:

Use interactive simulators
Stay awake through the night
Go without daylight or time cues for a week or more
Learn how you perform while well rested or fatigued.

Contact us

Behaviour-Brain-Body Research Centre

Location
Behaviour-Brain-Body Research Centre
Adelaide University
St Bernards Road, Magill Campus, Magill SA 5072

Phone: +61 8 8302 4262

Email: JUS-Research@unisa.edu.au