Paul Gardiner

Associate Professor Paul Gardiner is Deputy Head of School in the School of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, at The University of Queensland. He earned a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the University of Melbourne, and a Doctor of Philosophy from The University of Queensland, with his PhD research demonstrating the feasibility of reducing sedentary time in older adults. Gardiner's career includes roles such as NHMRC-ARC Dementia Research Development Fellow and Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Healthy Ageing at UQ. He has secured major funding, including the NHMRC Boosting Dementia Research Grants for 'Taking a whole of day approach to optimising activity to prevent dementia in people with type 2 diabetes' (2022-2026) and the NHMRC-ARC Dementia Research Development Fellowship for 'Stand up to dementia: Reducing prolonged sitting to improve cognitive function in older adults' (2016-2019), as well as support from the Ian Potter Foundation and other grants for projects on physical activity interventions in older adults and dementia risk reduction.

Gardiner's research specializations encompass multidisciplinary efforts to promote active ageing and maintain quality of life, with a focus on behavioural interventions to reduce sedentary time, dementia prevention, citizen science, and equity, diversity, and inclusion. He is a member of the Our Voice Citizen Science global research network spanning six continents to enhance health equity and co-founded the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Special Interest Group of the Public Health Association of Australia. Previous research areas include evaluation of drug and alcohol treatment services, parenting programs, stillbirth epidemiology, and women's health. With over 140 publications from 1991 to 2026, key works include 'Individual sedentary activities and cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults: a systematic review' (Chen et al., Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2026), 'Toowoomba healthy towns: a citizen science initiative on active transport in Regional South East Queensland, Australia' (Kolbe-Alexander et al., Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 2024), 'Associations between television viewing time and overall sitting time with the metabolic syndrome in older men and women: The Australian diabetes obesity and lifestyle study' (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2011), and 'Measurement of adults' sedentary time in population-based studies' (American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2011). His contributions have influenced guidelines on sedentary behaviour and physical activity for older populations.

Professional Email: p.gardiner@uq.edu.au