Dr Mark Kohler
Senior Lecturer
School of Psychology
College of Education, Behavioural and Social Science
My research focuses on cognitive and behavioural development and psychophysiology. I have specific expertise in the areas of child sleep and cognition, sleep disorders, memory and learning, and more recently in nature-based learning and the benefits of nature engagement amongst children. I began my current position in 2018, after working as Senior Lecturer and Program Director for Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of South Australia since 2010. Prior to this I completed a post-doctoral research position in Paediatrics and the University of Adelaide.
My research focusses on child sleep and cognition, sleep disorders, learning and memory, child engagement with nature, as well as a broader interest in the interaction of child health, lifestyle factors and wellbeing. I currently direct the Wellbeing in Learning and Development laboratory (WiLDlab) and work within the Develop Well group in the School of Psychology. I am also a current member of the Environment Institute at the University of Adelaide, and work closely with Resilient Youth Australia.
Honours projects available in 2025 include:
- Investigating predictors of child wellbeing, learning engagement and health in the community. Various topics available.
- Mixed methods investigation of the relationship between child connectedness to nature, pro-environmental behaviour, school engagement and wellbeing.
- The impact of a community garden on outcomes for vulnerable young people.
I am currently not taking additional PhD students as a primary supervisor in 2025. More generally I supervise projects in the areas of child sleep, memory and learning development, nature-based learning and play, and factors that predict child and youth wellbeing. See the WiLDlab website for more information on current projects.
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Reichherzer, C., Cunningham, A., Barr, J., Coleman, T., McManus, K., Sheppard, D., . . . Thomas, B. H. (2022). Supporting Jury Understanding of Expert Evidence in a Virtual Environment. In Proceedings - 2022 IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces, VR 2022 (pp. 615-624). Online: IEEE. DOI Scopus6 WoS6 |
| 2021 | Reichherzer, C., Cunningham, A., Coleman, T., Cao, R., McManus, K., Sheppard, D., . . . Thomas, B. H. (2021). Bringing the Jury to the Scene of the Crime: Memory and Decision-Making in a Simulated Crime Scene. In Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-12). New York, NY, United States: ACM. DOI Scopus28 |
| 2021 | Cao, R., Zou-Williams, L., Cunningham, A., Walsh, J., Kohler, M., & Thornas, B. H. (2021). Comparing the neuro-physiological effects of cinematic virtual reality with 2D monitors. In Proceedings of the 2021 IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (VR 2021) (pp. 729-738). online: IEEE. DOI Scopus16 WoS12 |
| 2019 | Liu, X., Pamula, Y., Kohler, M., & Baumert, M. (2019). A method for estimating Pulse Wave Amplitude Variability in children with Sleep Disordered Breathing. In Proceedings: 2019 41st Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC) Vol. 2019 (pp. 2289-2292). online: IEEE. DOI Scopus2 WoS3 Europe PMC1 |
| 2019 | Santamaria, A., Hendrickx, M., Coussens, S., Bornkessei-Schlesewsky, I., & Kohler, M. (2019). AFFECTIVE MODULATION OF SLEEP-DEPENDENT MEMORY CONSOLIDATION ACROSS THE LIFESPAN. In SLEEP MEDICINE Vol. 64 (pp. S334-S335). ELSEVIER. |
| 2019 | Coussens, S., Santamaria, A., Cross, Z., & Kohler, M. (2019). Attention and emotion do not modulate memory consolidation in a short sleep relative to wake. In JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH Vol. 28 (pp. 1 page). AUSTRALIA, Sydney: WILEY. |
| 2017 | Watson, E. J., Coates, A. M., Banks, S., & Kohler, M. (2017). THE INFLUENCE OF PARENTAL SHIFT WORK ON THEIR CHILD'S DIET. In SLEEP Vol. 40 (pp. A339). MA, Boston: OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. DOI |
| 2016 | Santamaria, A., Millar, M., Coussens, S., & Kohler, M. (2016). A PRELIMINARY STUDY INVESTIGATING SLEEP AND EMOTIONAL MEMORY CONSOLIDATION IN SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN. In JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH Vol. 25 (pp. 68). WILEY-BLACKWELL. |
| 2016 | Kohler, M., Banks, S., & Immink, M. (2016). MEDITATION CAN REDUCE SLEEPINESS AND IMPROVE ATTENTION FOLLOWING ACUTE SLEEP RESTRICTION. In JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH Vol. 25 (pp. 42). WILEY-BLACKWELL. |
| 2016 | Kohler, M., & Short, M. (2016). MEMORY PERFORMANCE AFTER SLEEP DEPRIVATION IN ADOLESCENTS. In JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH Vol. 25 (pp. 34). WILEY-BLACKWELL. |
| 2016 | Watson, E., Banks, S., Coates, A., & Kohler, M. (2016). IMPACT OF SUGAR ON SLEEP AND BEHAVIOUR IN CHILDREN. In JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH Vol. 25 (pp. 27). WILEY-BLACKWELL. |
| 2016 | Coussens, S., Cava, M., Chatburn, A., & Kohler, M. (2016). TIME FOR A REVIEW: INDICATIONS FOR ADENOTONSILLECTOMY IN CHILDREN WITH SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING IN LIGHT OF NEW EVIDENCE. In JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH Vol. 25 (pp. 17-18). WILEY-BLACKWELL. |
| 2016 | Watson, E. J., Banks, S., Coates, A. M., & Kohler, M. (2016). Impact of caffeine on sleep and behaviour in children. In JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH Vol. 25 (pp. 334). ITALY, Bologna: WILEY-BLACKWELL. |
| 2015 | Keage, H., Kurylowicz, L., Churches, O., Kohler, M., & Badcock, N. (2015). Indexing neurovascular coupling by combining electroencephalogram and functional transcranial doppler. In JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY Vol. 134 (pp. 237-238). Cairns, AUSTRALIA: WILEY-BLACKWELL. |
| 2015 | Baumert, M., Kohler, M., Pamula, Y., & Immanuel, S. (2015). Symbolic dynamics of pulse transit time and heart period in children with upper airway obstruction. In Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBS Vol. 2015-November (pp. 1801-1804). US: IEEE. DOI Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC1 |
| 2015 | Baumeister, J., Marner, M., Smith, R., Kohler, M., & Thomas, B. (2015). Visual subliminal cues for spatial augmented reality. In T. Oishi, & J. Grubert (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2015 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality Workshops, ISMARW 2015 (pp. 4-11). online: IEEE. DOI Scopus3 WoS5 |
| 2014 | Immanuel, S., Kohler, M., Kabir, M., Saint, D., & Baumert, M. (2014). Symbolic dynamics of respiratory cycle related sleep EEG in children with sleep disordered breathing. In Conference proceedings : ... Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual Conference Vol. 2014 (pp. 6016-6019). United States: IEEE. DOI Scopus1 WoS1 |
| 2013 | Immanuel, S., Kohler, M., Pamula, Y., Kabir, M., Saint, D., & Baumert, M. (2013). Increased variability in respiratory parameters heralds obstructive events in children with sleep disordered breathing. In Proceedings of the 35th Annual International Conference of the IEEE EMBS Vol. 2013 (pp. 2024-2027). USA: IEEE. DOI Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC1 |
| 2013 | Immanuel, S., Pamula, Y., Kohler, M., Saint, D., & Baumert, M. (2013). Characterizing respiratory waveform regularity and associated thoraco-abdominal asynchrony during sleep using respiratory inductive plethysmography. In Proceedings of the 2013 IEEE Eighth International Conference on Intelligent Sensors, Sensor Networks and Information Processing, IEEE ISSNIP 2013 Vol. 1 (pp. 329-332). CD: IEEE. DOI Scopus1 WoS1 |
| 2012 | Kabir, M., Kohler, M., Abbott, D., & Baumert, M. (2012). Effect of spontaneous arousals on cardio-respiratory interaction in healthy children. In Proceedings of the 34th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Vol. 2012 (pp. 45-48). CD: IEEE. DOI Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC2 |
| 2012 | Immanuel, S., Kohler, M., Pamula, Y., Kabir, M., Saint, D., & Baumert, M. (2012). Thoraco-abdominal asynchrony in children during quiet sleep using Hilbert transform. In Proceedings of the 34th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Vol. 2012 (pp. 3448-3451). CD: IEEE. DOI Scopus7 WoS7 Europe PMC5 |
| 2012 | Watson, E., Banks, S., Rigney, G., Kohler, M., & Blunden, S. (2012). The effects of dietary sugar intake on prepubescent girls's sleep stages: a preliminary study. In JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH Vol. 21 (pp. 238). Paris, FRANCE: WILEY-BLACKWELL. |
| 2011 | Cicua-Navarro, D., Kohler, M., Lushington, K., & Kennedy, D. (2011). Primary snoring in children from a community-based sample compared to a clinical sample. In JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH Vol. 20 (pp. 53). Sydney, AUSTRALIA: WILEY-BLACKWELL. |
| 2011 | Spooner, R., Whelan, S., & Kohler, M. (2011). Sleep and memory consolidation in children with sleep disordered breathing (SDB). In JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH Vol. 20 (pp. 34). Sydney, AUSTRALIA: WILEY-BLACKWELL. |
| 2011 | Kohler, M. (2011). What we leave behind: the efficacy of adenotonsillectomy in snoring children. In JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH Vol. 20 (pp. 9-10). Sydney, AUSTRALIA: WILEY-BLACKWELL. |
| 2011 | Kabir, M., Kohler, M., Abbott, D., & Baumert, M. (2011). Quantification of cardio-respiratory interactions in healthy children during night-time sleep using joint symbolic dynamics. In Proceesings of the 33rd Annual International Conference of the IEEE EMBS Vol. 2011 (pp. 1459-1462). USA: IEEE. DOI WoS2 Europe PMC1 |
| 2011 | Coussens, S., Kohler, M., Baumert, M., Martin, J., Kennedy, D., Lushington, K., . . . Pamula, Y. (2011). EEG spectral changes associated with spontaneous arousals in children with upper airway obstruction. In JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH Vol. 20 (pp. 52). Sydney, AUSTRALIA: WILEY-BLACKWELL. |
| 2011 | Kabir, M. M., Kohler, M., Abbott, D., & Baumert, M. (2011). Quantification of cardio-respiratory interactions in healthy children during night-time sleep using joint symbolic dynamics. In Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society EMBS (pp. 1459-1462). DOI Scopus1 |
| 2011 | Stockland, R. A., Manbeck, G., Kohler, M., & Mulcrone, M. (2011). P-H activation involving alkynylmetal substrates: Carbene vs. phosphine ligands. In ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY Vol. 241 (pp. 1 page). CA, Anaheim: AMER CHEMICAL SOC. |
| 2009 | van den Heuvel, C. J., & Kohler, M. J. (2009). SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING IN CHILDREN: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SLEEP TIME AND BODY WEIGHT DURING DEVELOPMENT. In SLEEP Vol. 32 (pp. A98). Seattle, WA: OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. |
| 2008 | Van den Heuvel, C. J., Wanklyn, C. J., Biggs, S. N., Kohler, M. J., & Kennedy, D. (2008). Childhood sleep breathing disorders: neurocognition and behaviour four years after treatment. In JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH Vol. 17 (pp. 128-129). Glasgow, SCOTLAND: WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC. |
| 2008 | Kohler, M., Van den Heuvel, C. J., Lushington, K., Martin, J., & Kennedy, D. (2008). Neurocognitive deficits before and after treatment for obstructive sleep disordered breathing in children. In JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH Vol. 17 (pp. 43). Glasgow, SCOTLAND: WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC. |
| 2008 | Kohler, M. (2008). Sleep time and body mass amongst children with sleep disordered breathing. In JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH Vol. 17 (pp. 149). Glasgow, SCOTLAND: WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC. |
| 2006 | Kohler, M., Kennedy, D., Van den Heuvel, C., Martin, J., & Lushington, K. (2006). Child cognitive performance and behaviour before and after adenotonsillectomy. In JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH Vol. 15 (pp. 120). Innsbruck, AUSTRIA: BLACKWELL PUBLISHING. |
| 2005 | Kohler, M. J., Kennedy, D., van den Heuvel, C., Martin, J., & Lushington, K. (2005). Neurocognitive performance amongst children awaiting adenotonsillectomy compared to non-snoring controls. In SLEEP Vol. 28 (pp. A106-A107). Denver, CO: OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Kontos, A., Baumert, M., Lushington, K., Martin, J., Kohler, M., Ciccone, D., . . . Kennedy, D. (2017). Cardiac modulation in healthy children during sleep. Poster session presented at the meeting of Sleep medicine. Netherlands: Elsevier. DOI |
| 2012 | Bruni, O., Kohler, M., Novelli, L., Kennedy, D., Lushington, K., Martin, J., & Ferri, R. (2012). NREM SLEEP INSTABILITY AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN CHILDHOOD. Poster session presented at the meeting of SLEEP. Boston, MA: OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. |
| 2012 | Bruni, O., Kohler, M., Novelli, L., Kennedy, D., Lushington, K., Martin, J., & Ferri, R. (2012). The relationship between sleep slow oscillation and cognitive performance in children. Poster session presented at the meeting of Journal of sleep research. UK: Wiley. DOI |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| - | Reece, C., & Kohler, M. (n.d.). Resilient Youth: State of the Nation Report 2024. DOI |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Cross, Z., Helfrich, R., Corcoran, A., Dede, A., Kohler, M., Coussens, S., . . . Bornkessel-Schlesewsky, I. (2020). Slow oscillation-spindle coupling predicts sequence-based language learning. DOI Europe PMC3 |
| 2018 | Cross, Z., Santamaria, A., & Kohler, M. (2018). Attention and Emotion-Enhanced Memory: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Behavioural and Neuroimaging Evidence. DOI |
Current funding:
Phillips Foundation. Project: 'Living Ripples' (in collaboration with Resilient Youth Australia). See https://livingripples.au/
Phillips Foundation. Project: 'The Roots and Shoots Resource Box Program' (in collaboration with Jane Goodall Institute Australia). See https://rootsandshoots.org.au/resourcebox/
Resilient Youth Australia: https://www.resilientyouth.org/
I currently teach undergraduate research methods and am the Chair of Learning and Teaching in Psychology. I have extensive prior experience teaching into cognitive neuroscience topics, individual differences and developmental psychology.
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Co-Supervisor | Naturalistic emotion reasoning in childhood: the role of parents on children’s ability to understand and use emotions to interact with others | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Kye Jayden Palmer |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Nature-based play program to promote child wellbeing, resilience and school engagement. | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Luka Dellavia |
| 2023 | Co-Supervisor | Naturalistic emotion reasoning in childhood: the role of parents on childrens ability to understand and use emotions to interact with others | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Kye Jayden Palmer |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Nature-based play program to promote child wellbeing, resilience and school engagement. | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Luka Dellavia |
| 2021 | Principal Supervisor | Nature Play? No way! An investigation of preventative factors impacting on child engagement in nature play. | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Miss Madison Skye Bellchambers |
| 2021 | Principal Supervisor | To determine whether the viewing of mid range fractal images helps restore attentional resources. | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Mr Andrew James Morris |
| 2021 | Principal Supervisor | To determine whether the viewing of mid range fractal images helps restore attentional resources. | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Andrew James Morris |
| 2021 | Principal Supervisor | Nature Play? No way! An investigation of preventative factors impacting on child engagement in nature play. | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Madison Skye Bellchambers |
| 2020 | Principal Supervisor | Investigating the relationship between nature-based learning, cognitive development, resilience and psychological wellbeing, and educational outcomes in primary school children | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Mrs Angela Osborn |
| 2020 | Principal Supervisor | Investigating the relationship between nature-based learning, cognitive development, resilience and psychological wellbeing, and educational outcomes in primary school children | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mrs Angela Osborn |