Jan Packer

Associate Professor Jan Packer is a Principal Research Fellow at the School of Business, The University of Queensland, with a focus on applying educational, environmental, and positive psychology to tourism and leisure contexts. Her work bridges academic research and practical application in museums, zoos, aquariums, and heritage tourism.

• Education: BA (Hons) in Psychology (UQ, 1976), PhD in Education (QUT, 2004)
• Affiliations: Centre for Marine Science, Faculty of Science; School of Business, Faculty of Business, Economics and Law

Research Interests:
Dr. Packer investigates how leisure environments facilitate restorative experiences, environmentally sustainable behaviors, and identity formation. Key themes include:

• Visitor motivation and experiential outcomes
• Values-based interpretation in heritage sites
• Cognitive and emotional responses to tourism advertising
• Conservation education through wildlife tourism
• Role of spiritual retreats in clergy well-being

Article Trends:
Her recent work emphasizes behavioral change through environmental psychology frameworks (e.g., Attention Restoration Theory, values-based interpretation), with applications in museums, zoos, heritage tourism, and wine tourism. Collaborative studies with Professor Ballantyne explore communication strategies to reinforce conservation messaging.

Scientific Awards:

• UQ Foundation Research Excellence Award (2014-2015)

Grants:

• ARC Discovery Projects
• ARC Linkage Projects
• UQ FirstLink Scheme
• National Capital Educational Tourism Project
• Melbourne Recital Centre Open Grant

Labs/Teams:
Collaborates with researchers at the Centre for Marine Science and within The University of Queensland's cross-faculty initiatives. Leads projects with institutions like Queensland University of Technology and international partners in heritage and ecotourism research.