The Council of Curtin University is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Harlene Hayne ONZM as Curtin’s next Vice-Chancellor, commencing in April 2021. Professor Hayne is currently the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Otago, New Zealand.
Professor Hayne is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and of the Association for Psychological Science. In 2009 she was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to scientific and medical research.
Professor Hayne is currently the Chair of the Board of Fulbright New Zealand and the Chair of the Universities New Zealand Research Committee. She is the former Chair of Universities New Zealand, and has also been a member of the Board of Treasury in New Zealand.
Professor Hayne has been at the University of Otago since 1992. Prior to becoming Vice-Chancellor in 2011, she served as Head of the Psychology Department before being appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Enterprise.
Originally from the United States, Professor Hayne has a B Arts from Colorado College and obtained an MS and PhD from Rutgers University, before spending three years as a post-doctoral fellow at Princeton.
Curtin’s Chancellor, Dr Andrew Crane, said the University Council’s decision to appoint Professor Hayne was unanimous.
“Professor Hayne has deep leadership experience, and this, combined with her visionary and values-based leadership style, has helped to build a strong, inclusive and student-focused culture at the University of Otago. This makes her an ideal appointment as Curtin’s next Vice-Chancellor and we know she will lead Curtin through these challenging times to grow our reputation as a leading global university,” Dr Crane said.
Professor Hayne is also a highly respected scholar in her own right and maintains an active research program in her areas of speciality, which include memory development, forensic psychology and risk taking in adolescents.
Dr Crane said there has been an extensive global search and he was delighted Professor Hayne has agreed to leave the University of Otago to move to Perth and Curtin.
Professor Hayne said she was “honoured and delighted” to have been appointed the seventh Vice-Chancellor at Curtin University.
“I look forward to working closely with students, staff, Council and other stakeholders as we continue to write the next chapter of Curtin’s successful history. I share the University’s bold vision for world-class education and research, and for meaningful service to the wider community both in Australia and globally. Together, I know that we can achieve great things.”
Professor Hayne replaces former Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry AO, who is now Vice-Chancellor at the University of Queensland. Professor John Cordery will remain as Curtin’s interim Vice-Chancellor until Professor Hayne arrives.
