Mark Nielsen

Professor Mark Nielsen is a faculty member at the School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, where he has worked since 2002. He is also a Senior Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa.

• Research focuses on socio-cognitive development in children and non-human primates
• Specializes in cultural cognition, imitation, and ritual behavior
• Associate Editor for Journal of Experimental Child Psychology and PLoS ONE
• Editorial Consultant for Child Development and Developmental Science

His research explores the evolutionary origins of human cultural cognition, including overimitation, tool innovation, and ritualized actions. He investigates how children learn from live and digital models, robots, and cultural artifacts.

Recent work analyzes imitation of costly rituals, economic inequality's impact on prosocial behavior, and cross-cultural variations in tool innovation. He has supervised over 25 PhD/Masters students and secured multiple ARC and Templeton Foundation grants.

Scientific Awards:
• Early Career Researcher Award (2006)
• Research Excellence Award (2009)
• Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (2016)

His publications span experimental child psychology, evolutionary anthropology, and human-robot interaction. Current projects examine the interplay between cultural learning, ritual transmission, and social cognition in diverse populations.