Fergus P. Hughes is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay From 1972 until 2004 he was a professor of Human Development and Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, where he taught courses on child development, adolescent development, life span human development, and children's play. In 2004 he assumed the role of Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, which he held until his retirement in 2007. He is currently engaged in scholarly writing and teaching courses in the University's Adult Degree Program.

He is the author or co-author of eight books and numerous book chapters and scholarly articles dealing primarily with childhood cognition and children's play. The first edition of his book Children, Play, and Development appeared in 1991, and has since been translated into Chinese, Korean, and Spanish. In addition, he serves as a professional consultant and regular contributor to The Child Parenting Journal, a national Australian parenting magazine.