Professor Andrew Parfitt appointed next UTS Provost

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Technology Sydney, Professor Attila Brungs, today announced the appointment of Professor Andrew Parfitt as UTS's next Provost and Senior Vice-President.

Parfitt is currently Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at the University of Newcastle.

"I and the rest of the selection panel were impressed with Andrew's vision for UTS, his energy, insights and experience, and feel he is the perfect successor to Professor Peter Booth, who has served UTS so well over the past two decades," said Professor Brungs.

Previous senior university administrative positions include Pro Vice Chancellor and Vice President: Division of IT, Engineering and the Environment at the University of South Australia, and Associate Dean in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Adelaide.

He has also had valuable public sector research agency experience through stints with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO).

Parfitt's area of academic expertise is telecommunications engineering, including antenna and radio systems research. He holds BE and PhD degrees in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Adelaide and has published more than 100 technical papers in refereed conferences and journals. He is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and a Fellow of Engineers Australia.

Throughout his career Parfitt has been involved in securing many millions of dollars of project and grant funding through a range of mechanisms to support teaching, research and infrastructure.

He is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has been a member of many government, professional and industry boards and committees. Currently he serves as Chair of the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) in New South Wales.

From 2010 to 2012 Parfitt was a ministerial appointment to the Commonwealth Government's Space Industry Innovation Council.

In accepting the role, Parfitt commended UTS for its steady rise in international reputation. "With a focus on practice-led education and high impact research, UTS is making a significant contribution to our community by developing graduates who will be the next generation of leaders, and innovations that will drive our future economy." 

"I am delighted to be joining UTS at this time, and look forward to realising the vision for a world leading university of technology."

Professor Parfitt will start at UTS at the beginning of December and take over as Provost in February.

"The role of Provost is a very significant one within a university, as the Provost leads the academic community," added Professor Brungs. "At UTS right now that is even more the case, as we enter our next phase of growth.

"We have been extremely fortunate to have had a Provost as exceptional as Peter Booth for so long, but I am also relieved and excited that in Andrew we have found someone who is so clearly able to fill those big shoes."