Dr Maja Vurnek Zivkovic
Maja Vurnek Zivkovic
- Job title
- Assistant Professor
- Role
- Assistant Professor
- Section
- School of Social Sciences
About
Dr. Maja Vurnek Zivkovic is an assistant professor in Psychology at Heriot Watt Dubai and she teaches various courses in Undergraduate Psychology programmes. Her expertise is health psychology, psychoneuroimmunology and cognitive and emotional aspects of behaviour change. She has extensive experience in clinical health psychology having worked at the University Hospital Zagreb as a health psychologist and research assistant for 10 years. After that she continued her career at the University of Zagreb as an assistant professor in Psychology, later moving to Dubai to work at Murdoch University as a Psychology and Criminology program lead and a student counsellor.
Biography
Academic Leadership and Affiliations:
Dr. Zivkovic is a member of Croatian Psychological Society. She is a consultant for the Atopy school at the University hospital in Zagreb, Croatia. Since 2025, dr. Zivkovic has been a member of the organizing committees for the International Psychology Conference Dubai, and the Psychology Students Research Conference. She also serves on the Students Disciplinary Committee at Heriot Watt University.
Qualifications:
- PhD in Biomedicine and Health, University of Zagreb, Croatia, 2011
- Master of Science in Health Psychology, King鈥檚 College London, UK, 2005
- Master of Arts in Psychology, University of Zagreb, Croatia, 2003
Research
Dr. Zivkovic鈥檚 research interests are in the area of health psychology, psychoneuroimmunology, and cognitive psychology and encompass a range of topics including the cognitive and emotional aspects of health behaviours, the broader implications of psychological factors on physical health and the impact our health has on the emotional state and well-being. Lately her interest has also included cognition in pro-environmental behaviours. In addition to conducting numerous research studies, she has successfully secured funding for her projects through competitive grants from the Croatian Ministry of Science and Education. This funding has supported various research initiatives and facilitated in-depth investigations into the psychological dimensions of health and behavior.
In addition to conducting research studies, Dr. Zivkovic has published over 15 articles in peer-reviewed journals, authored an university textbook, and contributed several chapters to various books and academic textbooks. She received the award for the Most Productive PhD Candidate at the University of Zagreb, underscoring her contributions to the field of psychology
Publications
- Pusti拧ek, N., 艩itum, M., Vurnek 沤ivkovi膰, M., Ljubojevi膰 Had啪avdi膰, S., Vurnek, M. & Niseteo, T. The significance of structured parental educational intervention on childhood atopic dermatitis: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2016, 30(5), 808-812.
- Koschwanez, H., Vurnek, M., Weinman, J., Tarlton, J., Whiting, C., Amirapu, S., Colgan, S., Long, D., Jarrett, P. & Broadbent, E., Stress-related changes to immune cells in the skin prior to wounding may impair subsequent healing. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 2015, 50, 47-51.
- 沤ivkovi膰, M. V., Dediol, I., Ljubi膷i膰, I. & 艩itum, M. Sun behaviour patterns and perception of illness among melanoma patients.Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. 2012, 26 (6), 724-729.
- Nast, A., Dréno, B., Bettoli, V., Degitz, K., Erdmann, R., Finlay, A. Y., Ganceviciene, R., Haedersdal, M., Layton, A., López-Estebaranz, J. L., Ochsendorf, F., Oprica, C., Rosumeck, S., Rzany, B., Sammain, A., Simonart, T., Veien, N. K., Vurnek Zivkovic, M., Zouboulis, C. C. & Gollnick, H. European Evidence-based (S3) Guidelines for the Treatment of Acne. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2012, 26 (s1), 1-29.
- Vurnek Zivkovic, M. & Dediol, I. Illness Perceptions in Patients with Melanoma, Acta Dermato-Venereologica, 2011, 91(2), 245-246