Mara’s expertise is within the fields of negotiation and conflict resolution.
Her research focuses on communication processes in negotiation. She is interested in how the timing and sequencing of negotiation strategies affects negotiators’ outcomes, particularly their ability to create value in the negotiation; and als in identifying the contextual, cognitive and dispositional factors that shape strategy choice and sequencing. Currently she is researching how trust and first impressions shape negotiators' strategic decisions, including the use of deception. In a related project, she is investigating how social stereotypes, especially gender, affect the perception of and reaction to a range of negotiation strategies.
In addition to her role at MBS, Mara has held lecturing positions at the University of Melbourne and University of Otago, as well as a range of management positions in the Australian Public Service. She also has considerable experience as a presenter on executive development programs.
Mara has published in leading international management, psychology and communication journals, and has presented her work extensively at international conferences. She served on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Conflict Management for 2003-2005 . She co-edited the International Association of Conflict Management's journal, Negotiation and Conflict Management Research, from 2009 - 2012 (http://www.iacm-conflict.org/ncmr/). She currently serves on the editorial boards of Human Communication Research, and Group Decision and Negotiation.
From 2001 -2003, she was a board member of the International Association of Conflict Management and is a Past President of the Association (2008 - 2009). She is a member of the Academy of Management's Conflict Management Division Executive. In 2010, she became a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA).