Rate My Professor Kai Wheeler

Wheeler's research focuses on implementation science through partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, embedding Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing into health and wellbeing initiatives, child development via inclusive sport and exercise systems, fundamental movement skills, trauma-informed physical activity, sport analytics, biomechanics, strength and conditioning, and strategic leadership. He leads projects funded by NHMRC, Cancer Australia, and others, addressing rheumatic heart disease prevention, maternal health, and Indigenous health research priorities. Wheeler has authored over 30 peer-reviewed publications, including the book Wearable Sensors in Sport: A Practical Guide to Usage and Implementation (Springer, 2019), and recent articles such as "Public First Nations sport history projects: the cross-disciplinary value of the principles of co-design" (Journal of Sport History, 2025) and "A population-based study of cause-specific mortality in First Nations Australians with cirrhosis" (The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, 2025). His scholarship has garnered over 680 citations with an h-index of 13. Among his honors are the 2022 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scientist Award from the Australian Academy of Science, the 2020 Accredited Exercise Scientist of the Year from ESSA, and multiple National Science Week awards. Wheeler was recognized in COSMOS magazine's top 52 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people changing the world.