University of Melbourne gets new Vice Chancellor - Professor Emma Johnston

Professor Johnston will start working in her new role in February 2025, and she is the first woman to be the Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne.

Study in Australia: The University of Melbourne announced the appointment of a new Vice-Chancellor - Professor Emma Johnston AO. She will be the 21st Vice-Chancellor of the university and will commence her new role in February 2025.

She has been selected after an extensive search of the candidates invited from overseas and Australia.

While announcing her appointment, University of Melbourne Chancellor, Jane Hansen AO said, “I am delighted to announce that Professor Emma Johnston will be the next Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. Professor Johnston’s passion for the transformative power of research and education, and her genuine desire to ensure that students and staff reach their potential stood out during the comprehensive selection process. She understands how cross-disciplinary research and teaching unlocks the power and value of a university’s mission and she shares the University’s focus on equity and student experience."

“Professor Johnston is one of Australia’s preeminent University leaders, has a keen understanding of the issues facing the sector, a profound awareness of the Australian political context and is a strong advocate and a cogent voice for higher education. She has a proven track record of leadership excellence and transformational change. Her strategic thinking and inclusive approach will support the University of Melbourne to continue to thrive," added Jane Hansen AO.

About Professor Emma Johnston

She is delighted to be the new Vice-Chancellor of the university. On her appointment, she said, "It is a great privilege to be appointed the University’s next Vice-Chancellor and I look forward to building on the work of Professor Duncan Maskell and his leadership team. As a sixth-generation Melburnian, raised in Williamstown, I am excited to be coming home for the next chapter of an academic career that in many ways spawned from my childhood curiosity in the wonders of Port Philip Bay.”

“I am a proud alum of the University of Melbourne, having obtained my Bachelor of Science and my Doctorate here. I served on the University Council and Academic Board as President of the Student Union in 1995, and I received an Honorary Doctor of Science in 2023,” she added.

She is currently working at the University of Sydney as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research). Before this, she spent more than 20 years at the University of New South Wales and she was promoted to the Dean of Science and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research).

She supervised more than 30 Higher Degree students, has authored 185 peer-reviewed journal articles, and specializes in the ecological impacts of human activities in marine ecosystems.

Read more:

• Study in US: Apply for University of California Regents Scholarship
• US Administration announces New Centers to Raise Bar for Students, Advance Educational Opportunity