Robbie Wilson

Professor Robbie Wilson is a Professor at the School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, and serves as Academic Director of the Hidden Vale Wildlife Centre and Director of Partnerships for the Hidden Vale Research Station. His research program spans both ecological and sports science domains, focusing on animal performance across diverse model systems including freshwater fish, crayfish, reptiles, marsupials, and humans.

Dr. Wilson's research examines the mechanistic basis of physical performance and its implications for survival and reproductive success. He investigates how organisms respond to environmental variation such as seasonal or long-term temperature changes, and the costs of these responses to other traits. His work explores interactions between behavioral, physiological, and morphological traits to understand how animal performance is optimized, with applications to conservation practices in both urban and wild habitats. Current projects include studying the importance of performance to male mating success in northern quolls, the relative importance of athleticism versus skill in soccer players, and investigating when and why animals engage in deceptive behaviors.

Analysis of Professor Wilson's recent publications reveals a strong interdisciplinary approach bridging wildlife conservation and sports science. His work on northern quolls focuses on habitat quality, survival probability, and semelparity, while his sports science research develops protocols for talent identification in soccer using small-sided games and examines the biomechanics of performance. This dual focus demonstrates how principles of animal performance can be applied across evolutionary and human contexts.

• Current funding through 2026 for manganese exposure effects on children's motor control
• Multiple ARC Discovery and Linkage Projects
• Collaborations with Aboriginal communities on Groote Eylandt
• International partnerships with FA Selangor in Malaysia

Professor Wilson has successfully supervised numerous PhD students across diverse topics including koala movement behavior, predator-prey interactions, wildlife sociality, and talent identification in soccer. His extensive grant history demonstrates significant research impact, with current funding through 2026 for projects examining manganese exposure effects on children's motor control, bilby conservation, and koala mortality risk prediction.

Leading the Performance Lab at UQ, Professor Wilson and his team investigate performance-related phenomena across the animal kingdom and sporting world. Their field work on Groote Eylandt has yielded important insights into northern quoll ecology, while their soccer research collaborations with FA Selangor in Malaysia demonstrate the global reach of their work.