Melbourne Uni poaches Duncan Maskell from Cambridge
The University of Melbourne has lured Duncan Maskell, the number two academic at the University of Cambridge, to be its new vice-chancellor.
The University of Melbourne has lured Duncan Maskell, the number two academic at the University of Cambridge, to be its new vice-chancellor in place of the long-serving Glyn Davis who steps down next year.
Melbourne’s chancellor, barrister Allan Myers, said Professor Maskell was an outstanding university leader and academic who was “operating at a very senior level at one of the world’s top universities”.
Professor Maskell, currently senior pro vice-chancellor (planning and resources) at Cambridge, is a noted researcher in the field of infectious diseases and has founded several successful start-up companies.
His appointment takes him straight to the top of the Australian academic tree, with the University of Melbourne the clear leader among Australia’s top research universities.
He is the second Briton to be chosen to lead an elite Australian university in recent years. In 2015 UNSW appointed, Ian Jacobs, formerly at the University of Manchester, as its vice-chancellor.
Professor Maskell has co-founded several biotech spin-out companies including Arrow Therapeutics, sold to drug company AstraZeneca in 2007, Discuva (which is developing new antibiotics against drug-resistant bacteria) and another drug discovery company, Bactevo. He is also a director of listed animal breeding company, Genus.
Professor Maskell will begin in October 2018 and his arrival will end Professor Davis’ successful 14-year vice-chancellorship which propelled Melbourne into the top 40 of the world’s research universities, well ahead of its Australian rivals in the influential Academic Ranking of World Universities listing.
Aside from the university’s research pre-eminence, Professor Davis’ key legacy is the Melbourne Model, a degree structure in which students’ start with a more generalist three year bachelor qualification followed by a specialised masters degree.
However, in the closing year of his vice-chancellorship Professor Davis is in a pitched battle with federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham to save the Melbourne Model, which is threatened by funding changes announced in this year’s budget that would take away guaranteed fee subsidies for Melbourne’s masters students.
The bill to implement the budget changes is currently blocked in the Senate, but Senator Birmingham is still pushing to save what elements of it he can.
In a message to university staff Mr Myers thanked Professor Davis and praised his “decisive role in the university’s consistent rise in reputation and rankings”.
“He has led a major reshaping of the way the university teaches through the design and introduction of the world-class Melbourne Model, and overseen significant campus improvements through our largest ever building program,” he said.
Mr Myers said that Professor Maskell had been selected following an extensive global search.
In addition to his executive role at Cambridge he also leads a research group which works on bacterial infections in both humans and livestock.
Uni won’t play ball on activist outburst
An Australian Research Council probe into anti-Israel activist Randa Abdel-Fattah has stalled.
ANU contracts awarded to Bishop’s former staffer
Australian National University says its engagement of a consulting firm operated by chancellor Julie Bishop’s former political staffer is all above board, after the university’s awarding of contracts to the long-time adviser came under scrutiny.