Taylor Willmott

Taylor Willmott

Adelaide Business School

Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Dr. Taylor Willmott is a Lecturer in Marketing (Research) within the Adelaide Business School at the University of Adelaide. She is the marketing discipline’s representative on the School’s Engagement Committee and is also part of the ‘Transforming Markets and Behaviour’ research group within the Yunus Centre for Business, Sustainability & Social Impact.

Dr. Willmott is an award-winning researcher with expertise in behavioural science, economics, social marketing, and human-centered design. With a focus on external engagement and social impact, Dr. Willmott engages in partnered research to tackle complex wicked problems such as climate change, violence, and chronic disease. Dr. Willmott has held several research and teaching appointments across leading higher education institutions in Australia and is currently working on an Australian Research Council (ARC) funded Discovery Project (DP) focused on collective engagement towards social purpose. This project brings together an international team of experts in marketing, engagement, and design. Dr. Willmott also leads a program of research focused on optimising the health and wellbeing of young adults and contributes her interdisciplinary expertise to partnered projects addressing issues such as societal ageing, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability

ARC-DP Webpage: https://business.adelaide.edu.au/collective-engagement-for-social-purpose
Yunus Centre Webpage: https://business.adelaide.edu.au/business-and-industry/yunus-centre-for-business-sustainability-social-impact#transforming-markets-behaviour

Dr. Willmott is an award-winning researcher with expertise in behavioural science, economics, social marketing, and human-centered design. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Social Marketing from Griffith University, a Bachelor of Business (Honours) Division I (First Class Honours) in Social Marketing, and a Bachelor of Business (Economics and Marketing) with Distinction from Queensland University of Technology. The transdisciplinary application of marketing science, technology, and human-centered design to achieve and support positive behavioural and social change lies at the heart of her research program. Specifically, Dr. Willmott’s primary research focus is on developing and advancing theory-driven, evidence-based, and human-centered methods, frameworks, and models that can be readily implemented by practitioners and policy makers tackling some of society’s most pressing problems. The principles and practice of social marketing are fundamental to this work. Social marketing seeks to develop and integrate marketing concepts with other evidence-based approaches to influence behaviours that benefit individuals and communities for the greater social good (iSMA, ESMA, & AASM, 2013). 

Dr. Willmott has been involved in the planning, co-creation, design, implementation, and evaluation of several government, non-government, not-for-profit, and industry-partnered projects across a variety of settings (e.g., aged care, obesity and chronic disease prevention, youth sexual violence and abuse prevention, alcohol-fuelled violence and illicit drug use, smoking cessation, energy use, and environmental degradation). Project outcomes have advanced theory and practice, uncovered innovative solutions, empowered citizens, fostered positive behavioural and social changes, and informed policy reform. Her scholarly research has been published in over 43 peer reviewed journal articles, conference papers, and reports. The quality and significance of Dr. Willmott’s research is evidenced by two consecutive best paper awards at the International Social Marketing Conference in 2016 and 2018, 11 competitive research scholarships, and the QUT Dean’s Award for Excellence in 2015. She is frequently invited to be a guest speaker and lecturer at leading institutions in Australia (e.g., Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Griffith University, and the University of Queensland) and abroad (e.g., University College London and University of Nottingham). She also has ongoing collaborations with world leading research centres (e.g., Social Marketing @ Griffith).

  • Journals
    Year Citation
    2022 Willmott, T. J., & Rundle-Thiele, S. (2022). Improving theory use in social marketing: the TITE four-step theory application process. Journal of Social Marketing, 12(2), 222-255.
    DOI Scopus2 WoS2
    2022 Willmott, T. J., Mathew, A., Saleme, P., & Rundle-Thiele, S. (2022). Participatory Design Application in Youth Sexual Violence and Abuse Prevention: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, 21 pages.
    DOI Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC2
    2022 Willmott, T. J., Hurley, E., & Rundle-Thiele, S. (2022). Designing energy solutions: a comparison of two participatory design approaches for service innovation. Journal of Service Theory and Practice, 32(3), 353-377.
    DOI
    2022 Willmott, T., Mathew, A., Luck, E., Rundle-Thiele, S., Carins, J., Vincze, L., . . . Ball, L. (2022). Participatory design application in obesity prevention targeting young adults and adolescents: a mixed-methods systematic scoping review protocol. Systematic Reviews, 11(1), 1-8.
    DOI Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC1
    2021 Willmott, T. J., Pang, B., & Rundle-Thiele, S. (2021). Capability, opportunity, and motivation: an across contexts empirical examination of the COM-B model. BMC Public Health, 21(1), 17 pages.
    DOI Scopus17 WoS13 Europe PMC7
    2021 Carins, J., Pang, B., Willmott, T., Knox, K., Storr, R., Robertson, D., . . . Pettigrew, S. (2021). Creating supportive eating places: A systematic review of food service initiatives. Health Promotion International, 36(5), 1368-1392.
    DOI Scopus6 WoS5 Europe PMC2
    2021 Willmott, T., & Rundle-Thiele, S. (2021). Are we speaking the same language? Call for action to improve theory application and reporting in behaviour change research. BMC Public Health, 21(1), 8 pages.
    DOI Scopus13 WoS15 Europe PMC6
    2019 Willmott, T. J., Pang, B., Rundle-Thiele, S., & Badejo, A. (2019). Weight management in young adults: Systematic review of electronic health intervention components and outcomes. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(2), 17 pages.
    DOI Scopus33 WoS30 Europe PMC16
    2019 Willmott, T., Russell-Bennett, R., Drennan, J., & Rundle-Thiele, S. (2019). The impact of serious educational gameplay on adolescent binge drinking intentions: a theoretically grounded empirical examination. Health Education and Behavior, 46(1), 114-125.
    DOI Scopus2 WoS2 Europe PMC2
    2019 Rundle-Thiele, S., David, P., Willmott, T., Pang, B., Eagle, L., & Hay, R. (2019). Social marketing theory development goals: an agenda to drive change. Journal of Marketing Management, 35(1-2), 160-181.
    DOI Scopus67 WoS58
    2019 Willmott, T., Pang, B., Rundle-Thiele, S., & Badejo, A. (2019). Reported theory use in electronic health weight management interventions targeting young adults: a systematic review. Health Psychology Review, 13(3), 295-317.
    DOI Scopus24 WoS25 Europe PMC10
    2017 Willmott, T., & Parkinson, J. (2017). Motivation, opportunity, and ability: Understanding new habits and changes adopted for weight management. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 41(3), 291-298.
    DOI Scopus8 WoS7 Europe PMC2
    - Willmott, T. J., Pang, B., Rundle-Thiele, S., & Badejo, A. (n.d.). Weight Management in Young Adults: Systematic Review of Electronic Health Intervention Components and Outcomes (Preprint).
    DOI

Dr. Willmott has attracted over A$1.02 million in research funding support. Her applied work spans across the government, non-government, not-for-profit, and for-profit sectors tackling a variety of complex problems such as climate change, violence, and chronic disease. Current project partners include the Australian Research Council, contentgroup, Gov Comms Institute, Goldilocks Suit, ECH Inc, and Department of Innovation Skills and Training. Past project partners include Department of Justice and Attorney-General (Queensland), Civic Assist, Awakening Cultural Ways, Energy Queensland, National Health and Medical Research Council, Department of Health (Commonwealth), The Sax Institute, Diabetes Queensland, Brisbane North Primary Health Network, Australian University Sport, Department of Environment and Science (Queensland), Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (Queensland), Queensland Police Service, and the Michelle Bridges 12WBT program. Dr. Willmott is driven to ensure research is accessible, translatable, and scalable. She has produced a six-part podcast series translating insights from an ARC Discovery Project (Collective Engagement Towards Social Purpose), delivered sector engagement and professional development workshops reaching over 5500 people, facilitated more than 50 co-design workshops, trained peer leaders to support capacity building, and led youth advisory groups in local communities. Her vision is for research to be collaborative, community-led, and critical of systemic challenges. Her mission is to educate and empower practitioners, policy makers, and citizens alike to find new ways to work together in the interests of society and the planet. Her purpose is to bridge the gap between research and practice by developing and advancing theory-driven, evidence-based, and human-centered methods, frameworks, and models that can be readily implemented by practitioners and policy makers tackling some of society’s most pressing problems. 

Dr. Willmott has held sessional teaching appointments across leading higher education institutions in Australia including Queensland University of Technology, Griffith University, and the University of Queensland delivering marketing, planning, and management courses, working integrated learning (WIL) and community internship programs, social marketing courses, and business research methods courses. She also guest lectures on a range of topics such as marketing strategy, marketing theory, social marketing, design thinking and human-centered design, behaviour change, and complex problem solving. Dr. Willmott uses her latest research working with government, non-government, not-for-profit, and for-profit organisations to ensure teaching content is contemporary and aligned with market needs. Her effectiveness as a teacher is evidenced by teaching award nominations and high student evaluation of teaching scores. Additionally, Dr. Willmott has facilitated sector engagement and professional development workshops, trained peer leaders, and led a youth advisory group. She is also the Creator and Lead Facilitator of Social Marketing @ Griffith’s Design Thinking services and training (2018 - present) engaging more than 4000 people from a diverse domestic and international audience.

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