Dr Safoora Pitsi is a lecturer, program, and course coordinator for the Master of Business Research program in the school of Business, and academic lead at Postgraduate Writing Centre. She completed her PhD in 2024 on Perceptions of Leadership Intelligence, investigating how individuals mentally perceive, conceptualise, and categorise leadership using cognitive frameworks. To further strengthen her research expertise, she completed units of study in cognitive psychology, cognitive and behavioural neuroscience, and brain and behaviour at the University of Tasmania. Dr Pitsi’s research adopts an interdisciplinary perspective at the intersection of cognitive and behavioural sciences and leadership studies. Her work seeks to uncover how enhancing mental and behavioural capacities can improve leadership effectiveness. Her current research focuses on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in AI–human decision-making processes, with particular interest in how cognitive mechanisms influence collaborative decision-making between humans and intelligent systems. Her recent research on cognitive flexibility was accepted through a peer-reviewed process and presented at the prestigious Open Strategy Workshop at the University of Oxford, where her paper was selected for in-person presentation. Dr Pitsi is an active member of both the British Academy of Management (BAM) and the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management (ANZAM). She has also successfully secured several competitive research grants at both university and business levels, serving as either the Project Lead or a key member of the research team. In addition to her research activities, Dr Pitsi supervises students undertaking Master by Research degrees. She is available to supervise both doctoral and master’s research candidates, particularly in the areas of cognitive and behavioural studies of leadership, dark leadership, and relation of cognition in AI-human decision-making in organisational context.
Education and Qualification
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) – Perceptions of Intelligence in Leadership, University of Wollongong
Master of Business Administration (Executive) – RMIT University
Master of Science (MSc) – Information Technology Management, Staffordshire University
Course – Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience: Brain and Behaviour, University of Tasmania
Course – Cognitive Psychology, University of South Australia
Bachelor’s Degree – Computer Software Engineering, Azad Industrial University
Qualification – Professional Certificate in Experimental Design in Behavioural Psychology London School of Business and Administration, UK, 2026
