Dr Penelope Bergen

I am a lecturer and researcher at the UNSW Canberra School of Business. I am an applied sociologist with a research focus on how workplace cultures form and function in isolated, confined and extreme (ICE) environments and other unusual or high-risk settings.

My research examines the interaction between values, governance structures, and social dynamics, and how these shape behaviour, resilience, and outcomes in complex operational contexts. I am particularly interested in small groups working under conditions of isolation, uncertainty, and constraint, including remote Aboriginal communities, the military, aviation, classical orchestras, and other dispersed or tightly coupled workforces.

I have worked across a range of interdisciplinary projects spanning elite sport, classical music, healthcare, non-clinical respite care, and the application of sociological insight to real-world operational and policy challenges. I am currently part of a cross-disciplinary research team using multimodal data analysis to enhance decision-making in aviation, exploring how sociological perspectives complement scientific and technical approaches in rapidly changing environments.

My professional background includes experience in broadcasting and print media, classical music, health policy, rural and remote health and business, government advisory roles, and teaching in strategic leadership and adaptive management. I also have extensive experience in academic publishing, having previously worked as a research publications officer and as an academic journal editor and peer reviewer.

My PhD examined the development of workplace culture among non-Indigenous workers in remote Aboriginal communities in Central Australia, with a focus on how government policy and governance arrangements shape organisational culture and, in turn, community outcomes.

I am a member of the Public Service Research Group (PSRG), the Australian Sociological Association (TASA), and the International Sociological Association (ISA).