New Dean of Engineering appointed

UNSW Australia has today announced the appointment of Professor Mark Hoffman as the new Dean of Engineering.

Professor Hoffman is currently the University’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research), a position he’s held since 2012. He was previously Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Science and Head of the School of Materials Science and Engineering. UNSW is ranked 17th in the world in Materials Science (QS Subject Rankings 2013-14).

Professor Hoffman will take up the new position in February 2015, upon the departure of Professor Graham Davies who is moving back to the UK after seven years as Dean.

“The University has been engaged in an international recruitment process for a new Dean since early this year when Graham Davies informed us of his intention to step down,” Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Iain Martin said.

“I am pleased to say that Mark Hoffman emerged as the outstanding candidate from a wide field of applicants.”

As PVC (Research), working with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Hoffman has been responsible for UNSW’s international research strategy and for providing strategic leadership in improving the University’s overall research performance. 

“UNSW Engineering is Australia’s leading engineering faculty, and under Graham’s leadership it has developed a strong international reputation. I am confident that Mark has the experience and vision to build on these achievements and lead the faculty into the future,” Professor Martin said.

UNSW’s engineering faculty is ranked in the world’s top 30 (QS World University Rankings 2014-15).

Professor Hoffman said: “I am proud to lead Australia’s largest and most respected engineering faculty at a time of great opportunity.”

Professor Hoffman first joined UNSW as a lecturer in 1997 following appointments at UC Berkeley in the US, the Technical University Darmstadt in Germany, and in Japan. He has a leading international research reputation and a record of building high performance research teams and has also received a number of teaching awards. Further biographical details can be found here.

Media contact: Denise Knight, UNSW Media Office, 02 9385 3249, d.knight@unsw.edu.au