Dr Fernanda Mata

Research Fellow

Psychologist, finance specialist, innovator

Fernanda specialises in developing behaviour change programs to help people make better financial decisions. For the past four years, Fernanda has been working with AustralianSuper to understand the factors that lead to retirement confidence and help pre-retirees plan for a 'better retirement'. Fernanda and the AustralianSuper team have developed an interactive online tool to make it easier for Australians to explore the study findings and improve how pre-retirees feel about the transition to retirement.

Fernanda holds a PhD in Psychology from Monash University and a Master’s degree in Neurosciences from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil).

During her PhD, Fernanda conducted multiple studies investigating the cognitive and neural mechanisms involved in food-based decision-making in youth, with the aim of informing the development of novel treatments and prevention programs to promote healthy eating behaviour. Her PhD has resulted in several scientific publications in world-renowned journals and nomination of her thesis for the Monash University Mollie Holman Doctoral Medal, Vice Chancellor’s Commendation for Thesis Excellence and Dean’s Award for Thesis Excellence.

Before joining BWA in 2019, Fernanda worked as a Research Consultant at a market research firm renowned for its innovation. Her work focused on understanding consumer behaviour and decision-making to solve complex business problems. With her academic background and consultancy experience, Fernanda has developed an intimate understanding of applied research and evidence-based solutions to real-world problems.