She is interested in how the built environment affects physical activity, and how to use approaches such as citizen science and participatory research to achieve large-scale change.
[1][2] In 1997 Hinckson joined the faculty of the Unitec Institute of Technology, where she lectured in exercise physiology[3] before moving to AUT in 2004, rising to full professor in 2017.
[2] Hinckson's background in exercise science has led her to a greater interest in public health, and how physical activity and sedentary behaviour are influenced by the built environment.
[6] In 2020 Hinckson was elected to a three-year term as president of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, which has around 1000 members from 44 different countries.
[7] Hinckson co-chaired the steering committee for the Lancet series on physical activity 2024, which found that Auckland scored below average as a sustainable city.