Matthew Kaesler

Matthew Kaesler

Lecturer

School of Public Health

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences


I am a researcher and data analyst at BetterStart, a research group that aims to generate better evidence to inform policy and practice to improve health, wellbeing and child development outcomes. I work with the linked data platform BEBOLD, which is one of the most comprehensive open cohort linked data platforms of its type in the world. I am interested in statisitical programming and descriptive data visualisation approaches for large linked data sets, particularly in the R language.

My research in psychology examined the effect of sequential lineup presentation on witness memory for perpetrators and their tendency to choose from a lineup. I teach a number of topics in both face-to-face and on campus programs, including statistics, intelligence, and memory.

In my research, I address applied problems using rigorous methods adapted from theoretical research. I am currently working on projects in eyewitness memory, mis/disinformation detection, and conspiracy theory beliefs. I am also generally interested in the problem of how to measure psychological constructs, like the strength of a person's memory, that cannot be directly observed and must be inferred from observed behaviour. I enjoy programming in R and other languages, and I like thinking about probability and statistics and how they are used in psychology. 

  • Appointments

    Date Position Institution name
    2024 - ongoing Researcher/Data Analyst University of Adelaide
    2022 - 2024 Lecturer University of Adelaide
    2022 - 2022 Associate Lecturer University of Adelaide
  • Education

    Date Institution name Country Title
    2016 - 2021 Univeristy of Adelaide Australia Ph. D. in Psychology
    2015 - 2015 University of Adelaide Australia Honours Degree of Bachelor of Psychological Science
    2014 - 2014 University of Adelaide Australia Graduate Diploma in Psychological Sciences
    2007 - 2009 Univeristy of Adelaide Australia Bachelor of Music (Jazz Performance)
  • Research Interests

Bachelor of Psychological Science:

  • Psychology IA/IB (teach)
  • Perception and Cognition (coordinate and teach)
  • Doing Research in Psychology: Advanced (teach)
  • Big Picture Psychology (coordinate and teach)

Bachelor of Psychological Science (Hons):

  • Research Methods (teach)

Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Online):

  • Foundations of Psychology (coordinate)
  • Learning and Behaviour (coordinate)
  • Perception and Cognition (partial author)

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