Wendy Li

Dr Wendy Li is an Associate Professor of Psychology at James Cook University (JCU) and an internationally recognised researcher and academic leader in translational mental health and wellbeing research. Her work focuses on developing and translating psychological evidence into culturally responsive, community-engaged interventions that improve mental health and wellbeing, particularly for underserved and culturally diverse populations.

A/Prof Li is Founder and Head of the Mindfulness Lab @ JCU and established JCU MINDS (Mindfulness Interventions for Navigating and Decreasing Stress), a suite of co-designed, evidence-informed mental health interventions developed in partnership with communities across North Queensland. Her research has supported veterans, culturally and linguistically diverse young people, people living with chronic illness, survivors of domestic and family violence, and other underserved communities. A qualified Level 2 Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher trained through Brown University, she combines methodological rigour with community partnership and research translation to generate sustainable impact beyond academia.

A/Prof Li provides research and disciplinary leadership nationally and internationally. She is President of the Asian Association of Social Psychology (AASP) and Founding Chair of the AusAsian Mental Health Research Alliance (AMHRA), through which she builds research capacity and strengthens collaborations across Australia and the Asia-Pacific. She also contributes to institutional research leadership as a Research Expert Member of the JCU Academic Board and previously served as Associate Dean (Research), College of Healthcare Sciences, from 2020 to 2024.

Her scholarly leadership includes serving as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Asian Journal of Social Psychology (2024–2025) and as Associate Editor of Mindfulness, Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, and the Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology. She is Editor-in-Chief of the Palgrave Handbook of Third-Wave Psychotherapies, published in 2025, bringing together 76 international researchers and practitioners to advance contemporary third-wave psychotherapy scholarship.

A/Prof Li is committed to developing future researchers and strengthening connections between universities and the communities they serve. Her research supervision, international teaching and research capacity-building activities span Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Her longstanding community leadership includes founding the Hamilton Chinese Golden Age Society in New Zealand and serving as President of the Townsville Chinese Club (2014–2020), where she helped develop the organisation into a sustainable multicultural community hub.

Translational mental health and wellbeing

Mental health promotion and prevention; culturally responsive, community-engaged and co-designed research; trauma-informed interventions; translation of psychological evidence into policy and practice; mental health and wellbeing among underserved populations.

Mindfulness and mental health

Mindfulness-based interventions; mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR); trauma-informed mindfulness; stress, resilience and wellbeing; mental health among veterans and Defence personnel, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, people living with chronic illness, and survivors of domestic and family violence.

Mindful and healthy ageing

Mindfulness and ageing; sense of control in later life; mental health and wellbeing of older adults; ageing in place; digital inclusion and wellbeing; arts and mindful ageing; palliative care education; healthy ageing and good death.

Cultural, social and community psychology

Cross-cultural and Indigenous psychology; migrant and refugee mental health; acculturation and identity; intergroup relations; discrimination; social inclusion and exclusion; culturally responsive mental health research and interventions.

Psychology and artificial intelligence

Psychological responses to artificial intelligence; human–AI interaction; perceived control, trust and fear of job replacement; AI and employee mental health and wellbeing; ethical and purposeful use of generative AI in higher education and assessment.

Evidence synthesis and research methodology

Systematic reviews, scoping reviews and meta-analyses using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA); quantitative research methods, including measurement invariance, mediation, moderation and structural equation modelling; qualitative research, including narrative and thematic analysis, interpretative phenomenological analysis, grounded theory and case study approaches.