Dr Weliton Menário Costa, a PhD graduate from the Australian National University (ANU), has won the 2024 global Dance Your PhD contest. One of the world’s leading researchers in kangaroo behaviour, he wowed judges with his wickedly creative and quirky dance submission, ‘Kangaroo Time (Club Edit)’.

Dr Costa is the first person from ANU to win the Dance Your PhD competition, and only the fourth person from an Australian institution to do so since its inception in 2008. 

The Dance Your PhD contest challenges researchers from across the globe to explain their PhD in a simple, effective and engaging way – bridging the gap between the scientific community and the general public.

Dr Costa (better known as ‘WELI’), singer-songwriter, creator, and biologist, weaves together a funky beat, original songwriting, drag queens, and Brazilian funk dancers to create something both entertaining and educational; the final product looks like it has been plucked straight out of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

WELI stars in and directs the music video, which draws on his Brazilian roots to illustrate the distinct and varying personality traits of kangaroos using song and dance. The original and club mixes have been played more than 7,000 times on Spotify, and the song has already featured in clubs, festivals, dance classes, and radio stations.

“Winning this contest is the equivalent of winning Eurovision for me,” he said. “I think it not only shows the incredible might of the research conducted here in Australia, but also how creative we are as a nation. Even we scientists!”

Reflecting on the success of Kangaroo Time and the global mark it made on the scientific community and further afield, WELI notes that at the core of his video is a message of inclusivity and diversity – something he hopes viewers will take away.

“As a queer immigrant from a linguistically diverse developing country, I understand the challenges of feeling disconnected in certain environments,” he said.

“One of the main messages I wanted to convey through this piece of work is that differences lead to diversity, and this is evident throughout the entire video. It’s evident with the different dancers that [hail] from various cultures and backgrounds.

“I think it’s extremely important that we celebrate diversity, and creating a video explaining kangaroo personality was an excellent medium for me to do this.”

In 2017, WELI relocated from Brazil to Canberra to undertake a PhD in animal behaviour at the ANU Research School of Biology. He finished his doctorate in 2021.

Armed with a remote-controlled car, the ANU graduate spent more than three years studying the behavioural differences of a group of more than 300 wild eastern grey kangaroos in Victoria.

“We found that kangaroos like to socialise in groups, but prefer smaller social circles,” he said. “Like humans, kangaroo personalities manifest early in life. Mothers and their offspring have similar personalities, and so do siblings.

“Kangaroos are very socially aware, and will adjust their behaviour based off cues from other roos.

“The diversity of the dancers in my video, from classical ballet to twerking, and the urban street dancers to the Brazilian dancing styles, reflect the variations in kangaroo personality across the full spectrum, from bolder types to shyer roos.”

On the surface, Kangaroo Time is an effective display of science communication that uses the creative arts medium. It is engaging, quirky, and niche. But WELI admits that the video’s title is a double entendre of sorts.

“The use of kangaroo time is not just to explain my research studying kangaroo personality – it’s also about my time living and studying in Australia as a whole,” he said.

“It’s been a time of exploration for me, a time where I’ve been able to reconnect with and grow my passion for music, dance, and the creative arts.

“Working on this project was the spark I needed to encourage me to take that next step with my music. It’s made me realise I want to focus on my music for the next little while and put my scientific career on the backburner.

“Speaking of which, I’m about to release a new EP called Yours Academically, Dr WELI.“

WELI will continue working at ANU as a Visiting Fellow until early 2025.