News Archive

The University of Western Australia has appointed mathematician and computer scientist Professor Robyn Owens to be its new Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research).

Professor Owens, currently Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Research Training) at UWA, will replace Professor Doug McEachern, who has held the senior executive position since 2003.

As DVC(R), she will be responsible for research policy development and general oversight of the University's research activities, postgraduate education, government and industry liaison, intellectual property and commercialisation.

UWA Vice-Chancellor Professor Alan Robson said Professor Owens was an outstanding academic with a distinguished career in mathematics, research and research training.

"Robyn will assist our University to maintain its high standards of research and research training," he said.  "Heading research at UWA, one of the eight research-intensive universities in Australia, is a vital role and one which will be crucial to our goal of becoming one of the top 50 universities in the world."

Prof Robson thanked Prof McEachern, who will retire in early 2010, for his outstanding contribution in enhancing the research performance of the University in the last six years.

Professor Owens was previously Head of the School of Computer Science and Software Engineering.  Her research has focussed on computer vision, including feature detection in images, 3D shape measurement, image understanding, and representation.  She is a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society.

Robyn Owens obtained a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics at UWA in 1974 before going to Oxford to complete an MSc (1976) and a DPhil (1980), also in Mathematics.  She then spent three years in Paris at l'Université de Paris-Sud, Orsay, continuing research in mathematical analysis before returning to UWA in 1982 to work as a research mathematician.

Earlier this year, Professor Owens, along with UWA biochemist Professor Peter Hartmann, was awarded the prestigious UK Rank Prize for Nutrition for ground-breaking work modelling the process of human lactation.

She takes up her role in the new year.

Media references

Professor Alan Robson  (+61 8)  6488 2809
Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 5563  /  (+61 4) 32 637 716