Stavroula Leka is the new Professor of Organisations, Work & Health and Director of the Centre for Organisational Health & Well-Being at Lancaster University.

Professor Leka is a Chartered Psychologist, Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and the Higher Education Academy and Honorary Fellow of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine in Ireland.

She is President of the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology (EAOHP), a member of the Board of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) and past Chair of its scientific committee 'Work Organisation & Psychosocial Factors'.

She was awarded an early career achievement award by the American Psychological Association for her outstanding contribution in occupational health psychology and the study of work-related stress.

Her main research interests are the translation of occupational health and safety knowledge into policy and practice, psychosocial risk management and the promotion of mental health in the workplace.

Professor Leka led the development of ISO45003, the first international standard on psychological health and safety in the workplace.

She said: “My expertise lies in the translation of knowledge into policy and effective practice in the area of work organisation, psychological health and well-being. My research, supported with funding in the range of £6 million, focuses on the evaluation of work and health regulation and policy and associated supporting systems at different levels such as international, European, national, sectoral and organisational.

“As part of my interest in policy implementation, I have conducted research in workplace health and safety regulation and on the promotion of occupational health through a business sustainability framework.”

Key themes in her research are:

· work organisation and the management of the psychosocial work environment for business and societal sustainability

· the management of psychosocial risks and work-related stress

· creating healthy work environments and the promotion of mental health and wellbeing in the workplace

Professor Leka is on the editorial boards of three international journals and is the Associate Editor of the journal Safety Science. She has been invited as keynote speaker to a number of international conferences and is an expert advisor to the European Commission, the World Health Organisation, the International Labour Organization, the European Agency for Safety & Health at Work, and the European Parliament.

She is also Emeritus Professor of Work & Health Policy at the University of Nottingham and Professor of Work Organization & Well-being at University College Cork in Ireland.