Monash appoints Professor Robyn Ward AM as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Senior Vice-President
Professor Robyn Ward AM commences as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Senior Vice-President on 17 March 2025.
Following a competitive global recruitment process, Professor Robyn Ward AM has been appointed as the next Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Senior Vice-President of Monash University, commencing on 17 March 2025.
Professor Ward is a globally renowned academic leader, researcher and clinician. She joins Monash from The University of Sydney, where she has served as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Medicine and Health) since 2020 and concurrently as the inaugural Executive Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Health since 2018.
Pioneering academic leadership
In her capacity as Executive Dean at The University of Sydney, Professor Ward successfully led a program of research integration and education enhancement as part of the amalgamation of five separate faculties and two schools to form the Faculty of Medicine and Health. She played a key part in developing a robust purpose, workplace culture and organisational structure for the newly formed faculty, which now contributes nearly 60 per cent of The University of Sydney’s research revenue.
Professor Ward has invaluable experience in leading a research function at a Group of Eight university, having held the role of Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of Queensland (UQ) from 2014 to 2018. She has also held previous senior academic and research leadership positions at UQ as well as the University of New South Wales.
An eminent medical researcher
An acclaimed cancer researcher and medical oncology specialist, Professor Ward’s research interests focus on bowel and hereditary cancer and the use of cancer therapeutics. With more than 24,000 citations since 1996, she has published 289 articles in prestigious international medical journals, including the British Medical Journal, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Nature Genetics, Gastroenterology, Cancer Cell and the New England Journal of Medicine. Professor Ward has a h-index of 76 and has been allocated more than $115 million in competitive grant funding as Chief Investigator throughout her career.
In 2001, Professor Ward created eviQ Cancer Treatments Online, a resource hosted by Cancer Institute NSW to collect and simplify research data on cancer treatments, with content now contributed by more than 700 cancer health specialists and professionals across the country. Having served as the Program Director of eviQ since its inception, Professor Ward has overseen the development and growth of this repository which has been adopted by almost every cancer centre in Australia. Outside of academia, she led the biopharmaceutical development of two products from discovery and manufacturing to first-into-patient studies, which received investment from venture capitalists and a Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program. She currently serves as Chair of the Commonwealth’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee.
Honours and recognition
Professor Ward has been celebrated both locally and nationally for her many achievements in research and practice over the years. She received the Commonwealth Health Minister's Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research in 2004, the NSW Premier’s Award for Outstanding Cancer Research in 2007, and a state award for excellence in public service in 2013 – the NSW Premier’s Award for Individual Excellence and Achievement. In recognition of her outstanding service to medical research and patient care in the field of oncology, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2013.
We congratulate Professor Ward on her new appointment and welcome her to the Monash community. We also thank Professor Mike Ryan for his exceptional service as Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Senior Vice-President in recent months.