CDU names new Vice-Chancellor

A leading Australian agricultural scientist who has been closely associated with the Northern Territory for almost 20 years has been appointed to the position of Vice-Chancellor of Charles Darwin University (CDU).
 
The Chancellor of CDU, Her Honour the Honourable Sally Thomas AM, today named Professor Simon Maddocks as the third Vice-Chancellor of the university.
 
Professor Maddocks is expected to take up the position in March 2014 following the resignation of Professor Barney Glover, who will become Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Sydney on January 2.
 
Her Honour said that Professor Maddocks, currently Director of Science Partnerships at the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), has been a member of the Governing Board of the Menzies School of Health Research for nearly 20 years. He has chaired the Board for the past nine years.
 
“Professor Maddocks’ deep experience of both the Northern Territory and CDU will serve the university well as he guides its development,” the Chancellor said.
 
She said that out-going Vice-Chancellor Professor Glover had led the university to a new level of maturity and under Professor Maddocks leadership she expected that development would continue to be founded on productive partnerships with government, industry and other universities.
 
Professor Maddocks, who is a specialist in animal reproductive physiology and immunology, also has held other senior roles at SARDI, including that of Chief Scientist, Livestock and Farming Systems, and Head of the Department of Animal Science at the University of Adelaide and later Director of its Roseworthy campus.
 
His work on Menzies’ Governing Board has provided him with a solid understanding of the complexity of the Northern Territory.
 
“Professor Maddocks understands the particular challenges of CDU, which include delivering education and training to 170 sites across the Territory. He is also very aware of the opportunities that are emerging as a result of the Territory’s and CDU’s strong links with Asia,” the Chancellor said.

She said the university was working with agencies and other institutions in countries to the north including Vietnam and Indonesia to develop education, training and research opportunities. CDU’s international student population, many of whom are from Asia including China and the Philippines, surpassed 1100 this year.
 
“CDU is indeed fortunate to have attracted a person of such high calibre as Professor Maddocks to the position of Vice-Chancellor. He has held a broad range of academic, leadership and scientific research roles, and the CDU Council looks forward to welcoming him to the university.”  
 
Professor Maddocks holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Hons) and a PhD from the University of Adelaide. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Company Directors and the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology. He has held numerous board memberships and advisory board appointments.

Professor Maddocks has been an elected member of the University of Adelaide Governing Council since 2007. He was the first non-medical graduate to receive the prestigious Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Scholarship in Medicine in 1987. He has received a number of other awards for his contributions to the field of reproductive biology.
 
CDU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sharon Bell, will serve as Interim Vice-Chancellor until Professor Maddocks’s arrival.