From the Chancellery
I
am delighted, on behalf of the University staff, students and wider
community, to welcome Professor Peter Høj as the next Vice
Chancellor and President of the University of South Australia.
Professor Høj, who was chief executive officer of the Australian Research Council (ARC) – the peak funding body for research in Australia – from October 2004 to May 2007, brings a unique mixture of experiences, energy, intellect and entrepreneurial flair to the institution at a time of profound change in the higher education sector. I am delighted to welcome such an outstanding leader.
Professor Høj has been a teaching academic, a professor engaged in high quality research in biochemistry and viticulture, an industry leader in his former role as the managing director of the Australian Wine Research Institute and, as chief executive of the ARC, one of Australia’s leading policy makers in the national research scene. It is a powerful and impressive combination.
Educated at the University of Copenhagen, majoring in biochemistry and chemistry, Professor Høj has a Master of Science degree in biochemistry and genetics and a PhD in plant biochemistry. He speaks several languages and has received fellowships from Denmark and Australia for postdoctoral studies in biochemistry.
Since arriving in Australia in 1987 he has worked as a lecturer and senior lecturer in biochemistry at La Trobe University and Professor of Viticultural Science and Professor of Oenology at the University of Adelaide.
In 1992, he was awarded the Boehringer-Mannheim medal by the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and in 2003 the Centenary Medal for his contribution to research and wine science. He is also a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.
He served as a private member of the Prime Minister’s Science Engineering and Innovation Council from 1999 to 2004 and as an ex officio member in 2006-2007. He is a former member of the Australian Institute of Marine Science Council, the Cooperative Research Centres Committee, the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy Committee, the Industry and Technology Council of South Australia, the Premier’s Science and Research Council, and the South Australian Wine Industry Council.
We expect Professor Høj will make a dynamic contribution to the next phase of UniSA’s development. He brings a unique understanding of the modern university environment at a critical time in the sector’s history.