Professor David de Vaus, Executive Dean, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

Professor David de Vaus

BA, Dip Ed,  PhD La Trobe, FASSA

Executive assistant
Mrs Cheryl Byrnes
 

Areas of responsibility

As Executive Dean of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Professor de Vaus is responsible for providing academic and strategic leadership and overseeing the financial management, staffing and resourcing of the six schools in the Faculty the Schools of

• Education
• Journalism and Communication
• Political Science and International Studies
• Psychology
• Social Science, and
• Social Work and Human Services
   

Biography

Professor de Vaus joined the University of Queensland as Executive Dean in July 2009 following a long association with La Trobe University as Head of the School of Social Sciences and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. During his career Professor de Vaus has been a secondary school teacher, has worked in three Australian Universities and worked in the Senior Executive Service in the Australian Public Service as a the director of research at the Australian Institute of Family Studies.

Professor de Vaus’ professional activities have included: Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, Member of the Australian Research Council’s College of Experts, Editor of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology and of the Journal of Family Studies, membership of numerous Editorial Boards of journals, membership of many national and international Advisory Boards, membership of a number of national and international research granting panels and Chair of the External Reference Group for Australia’s national Household Panel survey known as HILDA. He has held visiting Professorial Fellowships at the University of Manchester, University of Surrey and the University of Aalbourg

He has has published widely in the area of social science research methodology and in family sociology, retirement and ageing. He has consulted for many organisations including the World Health Organisation, and State and Commonwealth departments.

Professor de Vaus research activities include: social survey methodology, social research design, family sociology, ageing (especially family relationships, and healthy retirement), living alone, life course transitions and the changing nature of families in contemporary society. He is especially interested in rigorous, empirically based research that has policy and practice implications – on research that makes a difference

On this site