Lena conducts research that focuses on understanding and developing individuals' personality, fostering employee proactive behaviours, and promoting diversity and inclusion in organisations. She has published in top tier journals including Journal of Applied Psychology, Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, Journal of Organizational Behavior, among others. She is the current Section Editor at Applied Psychology: An International Review and also sits on the Editorial Board of Human Relations. 

Coming from a practitioner background initially, Lena works extensively with government and industry partners in a wide range of applied research projects. She has attracted over $2 million external funding into Australian universities, primarily focusing on areas including workforce / leadership development, diversity and inclusion and impact evaluations. She also has expertise in talent assessment and psychological test design. The organisations she has worked with include: National & QLD Mental Health Commissions, Department of Defence, Department of Veterans' Affairs, Victoria's Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, Australian Women in Security Network, BHP, Wesfarmers, among others. 

Lena has a PhD in work psychology from Institute of Work Psychology, University of Sheffield, UK, and is certified for using a wide range of talent assessment & training tools.