Research leaders

BBSc, BSc(Hons), DipEd, GradCertClinEpi, MPsych, PhD

Associate Professor Simon Rice is a Principal Research Fellow and Clinical Psychologist. He leads Orygen’s research programs into Elite Athlete Mental Health and Forensic Youth Mental Health. Prior to this he founded the Young Men’s Mental Health Research Program at Orygen, in which he remains active.

Simon has broad research interests stemming from his clinical and consulting work across the youth mental health and elite sports sectors. He has held fellowship and project grant funding from a range of competitive national and international schemes. He is currently leading a world-first randomised controlled trial of a youth suicide prevention program for young people experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviours. The trial uses social media coupled with expert clinician and peer support, funded by the NHMRC.

Simon completed his masters-level clinical training and PhD in Melbourne and has undertaken postgraduate training in clinical epidemiology. He is an experienced educator, having undertaken formal teacher training and has held secondary and tertiary teaching positions throughout Australia and South-East Asia.

Simon leads several international collaborative research projects and is a member of the International Olympic Committee’s Elite Athlete Mental Health Consensus Group. He is regularly invited to speak internationally.

Simon served as Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed journal Australian Psychologist (2020-2023) and is currently a Senior Clinician at the Youth Mood Clinic, at Orygen Specialist Program.

Read more about Simon's work in his Find an expert profile on the University of Melbourne's website.

Research Team Members

Dr Zac Seidler
Dr Lisa Olive