Ester Cerin

Professor Ester Cerin is a leading academic at the Mary Mackillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University (ACU), where she leads the Behaviour, Environment and Cognition Research Program. She holds an adjunct professorship in Statistics at the Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, and is an Honorary Professorial Fellow at both the Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute and the School of Public Health, University of Hong Kong. Her international career includes academic roles in Australia, the USA, and Hong Kong.

Her research centers on the environmental and psychosocial determinants of lifestyle behaviors and health, with a focus on physical activity, cognitive health, and sustainable environments. She employs advanced statistical methods to study how urban design and neighborhood characteristics influence health across the lifespan. Her work bridges public health, urban planning, and behavioral science.

The recent publications highlight a consistent focus on built environment impacts on physical activity and cognitive health across age groups and continents. Her studies frequently employ multi-country designs (e.g., IPEN, iMAP) and advanced methodologies including meta-analyses, cohort studies, and objective environmental assessments. Key themes include walkability, urban densification, aging, and mental health.

• Top 1% of scholars, University of Hong Kong, 2015
• Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher, 2019

Professor Cerin has secured over $24 million in research funding from prestigious bodies including NHMRC, ARC, NIH, and World Cancer Research Fund. She has led 12 major grants as Lead Investigator and serves as Principal Investigator for the iMAP and EPOCH studies. She supervises HDR students and mentors early-career researchers. Her leadership extends to editorial roles as Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity and Associate Editor of Health & Place.

She co-founded the International Cognitive Health and the Environment Network (ICHEN) to promote research and advocacy for environments that support cognitive health. Her work is embedded in large international collaborations, including multi-country cohort studies and systematic reviews under the IPEN and CEPA working groups.