BSC Hons (UWA), PhD (McGill)

Professor Donald Robertson lectures in physiology at the University of Western Australia, and has a strong background in hearing research both within Australia and overseas. He aspires to develop the links between basic and applied hearing research at the University through his role on the ESIA board.

Professor Donald Robertson completed his undergraduate honours degree in Physiology at UWA under the supervision of one of the great names in modern auditory physiology, Brian Johnstone.
He undertook postgraduate research on the efferent control system in hearing at The Brain Research Institute of The University of Brussels and continued his research in Canada, where he obtained a PhD on the mechanisms of sharp tuning in the cochlea. His postdoctoral work considered cognitive components of evoked cerebral potentials.
Professor Robertson returned to Perth as a Queen Elizabeth II Fellow and subsequently undertook a lecturing position in physiology at UWA, which he continues today.
Professor Robertson has a longstanding research interest in the basic science of normal hearing and deafness. For many years he pursued this research driven by curiosity and a love of the process of scientific research, but has in the past decade developed an interest in trying to apply his knowledge to the understanding and treatment of hearing problems.
He finds the interaction he has with committed individuals from a wide range of backgrounds at Ear Science Institute of Australia especially stimulating. He hopes his time on the board will assist in developing the links between basic and applied hearing research at UWA.