Rate My Professor Kirsten Robertson

Professor Kirsten Robertson is a Professor in the Department of Marketing within the Otago Business School at the University of Otago. Holding a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Education (1997), Master of Science in Psychology (2000), and PhD (2006), all from the University of Otago, she brings a strong foundation in social psychology to her work in marketing behaviour. Over a 25-year career at the university, she transitioned from the Department of Psychology to Marketing in January 2008, lecturing across divisions including Psychology, Psychological Medicine, Oral Sciences, and Marketing. She has supervised more than 30 postgraduate research students, many of whom have pursued academic careers, earning three awards for her supervision excellence. In leadership roles, she has served as Head of the Department of Marketing, Associate Dean Research for Commerce, Chair of Alzheimers Otago, and Deputy Director of the Te Maea Research Theme. Additionally, she is a board member of Alzheimers Otago, a co-investigator on the 45th phase of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, and a member of the Food Waste Innovation research theme.

Robertson's research draws on psychology, public health, and marketing to address societal challenges and promote wellbeing. Her interests encompass consumer attitudes towards binge drinking and student alcohol consumption, music piracy and ethical decision-making, intimate partner violence, support for dementia caregivers including barriers to community services and impacts of social isolation, food waste reduction, single-use plastic consumption, and regulatory issues around recreational cannabis, alcohol, and therapeutic products. Key publications include 'Experience, Emotion, and Eudaimonia: A Consideration of Tourist Experiences and Well-Being' (2017), 'Illegal Downloading, Ethical Concern, and Illegal Behavior' (2012), 'The Impact of Social Isolation and Loneliness on the Well-Being of Carers of a Person with Dementia in Aotearoa New Zealand' (2024), and 'Consumers' Capabilities, Opportunities and Motivations that Drive Single-Use Plastic (SUP) Reduction' (2026). She contributes through public lectures, such as her Inaugural Professorial Lecture 'Working at the Edges: Intersections of Psychology, Marketing, Society, and Change' (2025), media engagement, and policy-informing collaborations.