Prof Rob Heinsohn

Rob Heinsohn has been working on threatened species conservation for over twenty years and is Professor of Evolutionary and Conservation Biology at the Australian National University.
Rob combines his interests in conservation, animal behaviour, and evolutionary biology by working on a range of species but has developed a special interest in parrots. His field research has included studies of lions in East Africa, Eclectus parrots and palm cockatoos on Cape York Peninsula, and endangered migratory and hollow nesting birds in south-eastern Australia. The bird species he chooses to work on are often large and wide-ranging, and make excellent tools for investigations of habitat use over large areas. Rob also enjoys promoting the public profile of wildlife through studies of animal intelligence, cooperation and tool use.

Recognising that conservation must be tackled from many angles, Rob embraces inter-disciplinary approaches to environmental research. His current role as Associate Director for Research in the ANU’s Fenner School is to foster collaboration between researchers across diverse disciplines including ecology, environmental history, economics and climate science.