Prof Vicky Mabin researches problem structuring, problem solving and decision making methods that can be applied in public, private sector and not-for-profit organisations, at operational and strategic levels. Her research interests focus on Goldratt's Theory of Constraints (TOC) using it to focus performance improvements - streamlining operations, managing change, variability and uncertainty in organisations, operations and projects. She has developed many applications of TOC on its own and in combination with systems thinking and ‘soft’ OR methods, operations management methods, linear programming (LP), multi-criteria decision making (MCDM), project management, and behavioural methods such as framing and metaphor.

She has supervised many research projects especially using TOC for decision making in education, health, projects, resource management, risk management, and public sector contexts. Her publications include "The World of the Theory of Constraints: A review of the international literature" (2000), the lead chapter on the Thinking Processes in the Theory of Constraints Handbook (2010), and many journal articles on TOC, OR, and related areas.

Vicky was made a Fellow of the Operational Research Society (UK) in 2004, and was awarded the Hans Daellenbach Prize by the Operations Research Society of NZ in 2018, the Griffiths Medal by the Operational Research Society (UK) in 2019 for the best article in "Health Systems" journal 2017-2018, and the TOCICO Lifetime Achievement Award by the Theory of Constraints International Certification Organization in 2021.

From 2008 to 2014, Vicky was the inaugural Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) for Wellington School of Business and Government, establishing assurance of learning and assessment processes for accreditation, as well as leading various initiatives including the Showcasing Teaching Excellence project, the Business School's 'Teaching Matters' website, Internationalisation At Home and Groupwork projects, developing resources which have now been adopted by the wider University.

She has served on the Board of Directors and various committees for TOCICO, Regional Editor of International Transactions in Operational Research, for which she remains on the editorial board, and associate editor for the Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education. She has had a long association with the Operations Research Society of New Zealand (ORSNZ) including a term as President, and many years on the national Council and the Wellington branch, co-organising several conferences. She also served as Chairperson of the Wellington Chapter of the NZPICS.

Prior to joining Victoria University of Wellington in 1991, she worked for the DSIR, NZ’s main scientific and industrial research institute, in the Applied Maths Division, working with business, government and industry on a wide range of strategic and operational problems. She has worked with many government organisations and not-for-profits assisting them with priority setting, particularly for project selection, both paid and pro bono.

Since retirement in 2020, she continues to undertake and supervise research and serve on various bodies pro bono, along with a little contract teaching and running of workshops.