Professor Alan Lawson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and International)

Professor Alan Lawson

BA (Hons) Newcastle (NSW), MA ANU, PhD Qld
 

Executive assistant

Areas of responsibility
Professor Lawson supports the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) in improving the University’s research performance and has specific responsibility for the oversight and policy direction of the University’s programs of funding, training and professional development for early career researchers. He also works with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) to develop links with overseas agencies and universities with potential to partner with UQ, especially in the training of early career researchers, including PhD students. He has particular responsibility for coordinating the University’s strategic partnerships in Latin America, Indochina, and some parts fo the Middle East.

Biography
Professor Lawson was appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and International) in June 2009 and was Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Research Training) from May 2008. Previously, Professor Lawson was Dean of the UQ Graduate School from March 1998. Prior to that, he was a Reader in the Department of English (1975-98) in which he served as Postgraduate Coordinator from 1994-1997, and took a keen interest in graduate student issues since becoming a member of the University's Postgraduate Studies Committee in 1987.

Professor Lawson has published widely in postcolonial theory and critical practice (especially in relation to 'settler cultures'), national cultural policy in Australia and Canada, and Australian and Canadian fiction. He was a founding member of the Brisbane Post-colonial Research Group (1986- ).

After graduating from the University of Newcastle in 1969 with First Class honours and a University Medal in English, he wrote an MA thesis at the Australian National University on the Australian Nobel Prize-winning author, Patrick White, parts of which were published as a book and some papers. He commenced PhD research on Elizabethan theories of comedy there but, after further publishing and teaching in the field of Australian Literature, moved to the University of Queensland as a Lecturer in English in 1975. Subsequently, his interests extended to the literatures and cultural policies of Canada and Australia.

In addition to his positions at UQ, Professor Lawson has also been a visiting fellow at Universities in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, and South Africa. He has been an Editorial Board Member of 12 journals (incl. 3 e-journals); held executive positions in 6 international scholarly associations and on 8 International Conference Committees. He has been academic consultant to a multimedia company, series editor for a US publisher, and a judge of 8 national literary awards. He was a foundation council member of the UQ Australian Studies Centre.

Alan Lawson is author or editor of 10 books and approximately 100 papers and chapters and has been an advisory team member for 27 successful research higher degree graduates.

He was Chair of the Australian Council of Deans & Directors of Graduate Studies (2000-02); Inaugural Chair of the Group of Eight Deans of Graduate Studies (2003-05); and Inaugural Chair, Universitas 21 Deans of Graduate (2001-04).

His recent research interest in the analysis of national higher education funding policy grows out of his earlier work on cultural policy and discourse analysis; it has led to several collaborative research projects and involvement in public policy development.

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