Dr Keane Wheeler

Lecturer

School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences
Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences

Affiliate Lecturer

UQ Poche Centre for Indigenous Health
Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences
keane.wheeler@uq.edu.au
+61 7 336 56637

Overview

Dr Keane Wheeler is a proud Ngarabal person and Accredited Exercise Scientist (ESSA). Dr Wheeler specilises in implementation science in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.

Dr Wheeler was the first Aboriginal person to graduate with a PhD from the University of the Sunshine Coast.

Dr Wheeler’s research examines how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities can co-design programs that build community capacity and engage children and young peoples in a broad range of development areas. Dr Wheeler’s research strengths consist co-designing physical movement-based programs, ensuring a trauma informed and culturally-responsive approach towards community engagement and empowerment.

Dr Wheeler has led high performing teams working on education programs that support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families through a strength-based and holistic framework. Extending this work, Dr Wheeler's research focuses on developing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce to better address the complex health needs of community. Dr Wheeler has provided FIrst Nations leadership to a range of projects that have catered for the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and through this experience has partnered to deliver diverse governance solutions and educational engagement frameworks.

Dr Wheeler also specialises in biomechanics, sport analytics and performance analysis as well as strength and conditioning research. Dr Wheeler works currently with a range of sporting organisations to implement best-practice sport servicing, testing and athlete management to achieve excellence. Dr Wheeler has worked with a variety of professional sporting organisations and teams such as the Wallabies, Brumbies Rugby and World Rugby as well as the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra Raiders, Canberra Comets, Canberra Meteors and GWS Giants. Dr Wheeler co-design training programs to promote optimal performance in a range of sports. Dr Wheeler is a passionate about how sport and exercise can be used to enrich community as well as health and wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Dr Wheeler is the Chair of the ESSA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Strategy Working Group for Exercise and Sport Science Australia.

Dr Wheeler was named in the top 52 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people changing the world from COSMOS.

Awards

2022 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scientist Award from the Australian Academy of Science

2022 LSQ Merck Life Science Rural and Regional Service Award from Life Sciences Queensland

2020 Accredited Exercise Scientist of the Year Award from Exercise and Sport Science Australia

2021 Science Peoples Choice Award from National Science Week

2021 Outreach Award from National Science Week

2020 Science Leadership Excellence Award from National Science Week

2017 NAIDOC Award from Fraser Coast NAIDOC Committee

Research Interests

  • Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing
  • Aboriginal and Torres Stait Islander health and wellbeing
  • Child development and inclusive sport and exercise systems
  • Engaging diverse peoples in education
  • Fundamental movement skills in children
  • Trauma-informed movement and physical activity
  • Sport analytics and performance analysis
  • Biomechanics and movement analysis
  • Strength and conditioning
  • Sport coaching and education
  • Wearable technology in the assessment of human movement
  • Strategic leadership

Research Impacts

Dr Wheeler has authored/co-authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications in high impact journals as well as one book that examined the practical use of wearable technology in sport, which was published by Springer.

Dr Wheeler has over 680 citations attributed to his work, with an H-index of 13 according to Google Scholar.

Dr Wheeler is also a peer reviewer of several high ranked Sport and Exercise Science journals.

Dr Wheeler has presented extensively at a range of national and international conferences. Dr Wheeler has demonstrated strong capacity in the development, implementation, management and completion of funded research projects in human movement disciplines. Dr Wheeler is leading collaborations for improved health outcomes, in particular for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Dr Wheeler has applied his research widely in human movement science, including innovative studies investigating the biomechanics of human gait specific to sport.

Dr Wheeler has worked extensively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to engage in meaningful learning experiences and activities. Dr Wheeler is skilled at translating his work into training programs and seminars aimed at improving theory and practice of human movement, including culturally responsive physical activity. His work challenges traditional views of child development and has been adopted by sport and exercise scientists working in a range of settings. Dr Wheeler’s innovative work in the Fraser Coast Aboriginal and Torres Strait community included implementing gender specific engagement programs for secondary school students, various homework clubs, and traditional Indigenous games in primary schools led to him being awarded the 2017 NAIDOC Business award from the Fraser Coast community.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours), University of Canberra
  • Bachelor of Applied Science, University of Canberra
  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of the Sunshine Coast

Publications

View all Publications

Grants

View all Grants

Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

  • Doctor Philosophy

  • Doctor Philosophy

View all Supervision

Publications

Featured Publications

Book

Journal Article

Conference Publication

Other Outputs

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor