Dr Rob Orr

Professional biography

Dr Rob Orr joined the Australian Army in 1989 as an infantry soldier before transferring to the Australian Defence Force Physical Training Instructor (PTI) stream. Serving for 10 years in this stream, Rob designed, developed, instructed and audited physical training programs and physical education and rehabilitation courses for military personnel and fellow PTIs from both Australian and foreign defence forces. Rob subsequently transferred to the physiotherapy stream where his role included the clinical rehabilitation of defence members and project management of physical conditioning optimisation reviews. Serving as the Human Performance Officer for Special Operations before joining the team at Bond University in 2012, Rob continues to serve in the Army Reserve as a Human Performance Officer and as a sessional lecturer and consultant.

Rob is the director of the Tactical Research Unit, a multidisciplinary, international team of researchers nested in Bond University providing research, consultancy, and education services to tactical professions around the globe. Rob’s fields of research, consultancy, and education provision spans physical conditioning, reconditioning, rehabilitation and injury prevention for military, law enforcement and protective services across their occupational lifespan (initial trainee to specialist). Generally focussing on the tactical population, Rob is actively involved in research with the Australian and foreign defence forces, an extensive list of law enforcement departments (both national and international), and firefighters / first responders.

Rob has served on the organising committee for the 4th and 5th International Congress on Soldiers’ Physical Performance and on the scientific committees for the occupational branch of the Australian Physiotherapy Association Conference and World Physiotherapy Congress, and is the Chair of the organising committee for the 4th Physical Employment Standards Conference to be held at Bond University in 2023.