University of Western Australia

For more than 100 years The University of Western Australia (UWA) has provided world-class education, research and community engagement for the advancement and welfare of society. UWA is committed to contributing significantly to the intellectual, cultural and economic development of the State of Western Australia and the nation. The University has a broad research and teaching profile across a wide range of disciplines. With world-class staff and facilities, UWA students are given the best possible opportunities to pursue their impossible and excel in their fields.

UWA is a community of people who want to explore the unknown, challenge convention and make things happen; people with a burning desire to make the most of their own potential and contribute to the world’s advancement. As WA’s oldest university, UWA aspires to be counted among the top 50 universities in the world by 2050. Its consistently high entry (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) scores mean UWA’s undergraduate cohort is the most academically talented of any WA university and generally is recognised as being of the highest quality in Australia.

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Governance

The University of Western Australia is governed by its Act 1911. The Senate is the University's governing body which has the entire control and management of the affairs and concerns of the University, and may act in all matters concerning the University in such manner as appears to it best calculated to promote the interests of the University.

Governance

The Chancellor

Dr Diane Smith-Gander AO
Chancellor of UWA

Prominent Australian business leader Dr Diane Smith-Gander AO was elected by the University’s Senate as Chancellor of the University of Western Australia for a three-year term commencing 1 January 2025.

Dr Smith-Gander has been associated with UWA for more than 50 years. She is an Adjunct Professor of Corporate Governance at the University, and was chair of the UWA Business School Board. The University awarded her an Honorary Doctorate in Economics in 2015. Outside the University she is Chair of Zip Co Limited, Perenti Limited, and HBF Health Limited.

A UWA alumna, Dr Smith-Gander is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Governance Institute of Australia, and a past Chair of the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia. Her distinguished career includes advocacy for gender equity, and she is past president of Chief Executive Women.

In recognition of her contributions to business and gender equality, Dr Smith-Gander was made an Officer in the Order of Australia in 2019 and was awarded the Business Award in the West Australian of the Year in 2018.

Governing body

Senate

The University of Western Australia Act 1911 (WA) establishes the Senate as the governing authority of the University with responsibility for "the entire control and management of the affairs of and concerns of the University".

Standing Committees of the Senate meet regularly and make recommendations to the Senate on relevant matters.

The Senate consists of 17 members:

  • the Chancellor - ex officio

  • the Vice-Chancellor - ex officio

  • three appointed by the Governor

  • two elected by Convocation

  • one elected by and from the academic staff of the University

  • one elected by and from the general staff of the University

  • the Chair of the Academic Board

  • two elected by and from enrolled students of the University

  • not more than five co-opted members.

All elected, appointed and co-opted members, other than students, have three-year terms and in normal circumstances serve no more than three successive terms.

Membership

Official Members

  • Chancellor: Dr Diane Smith-Gander AO (31 December 2027)

  • Vice-Chancellor: Professor Amit Chakma (Ex-Officio)

  • Chair of Academic Board: Winthrop Professor Marc Tennant AM (Ex-Officio) (31 December 2026)

Members appointed by the Governor

  • Ms Joanna Farrell (18 August 2028)

  • Mr Shaun Day (8 September 2027)

  • Ms Kathleen Bozanic (18 September 2028)

Members co-opted by Senate

  • Pro-Chancellor: Dr Robert (Bob) Olivier (12 May 2028)

  • Emeritus Professor Jane Den Hollander AO (31 January 2028)

  • The Hon. Neil McKerracher KC (21 May 2026)

  • Mr Jason Ricketts (1 September 2028)

Members elected by Convocation

  • Emeritus Professor Cheryl Praeger AC (19 March 2028)

  • Dr David Griffiths (25 March 2027)

Members elected by the university community

  • Academic Staff: Professor Serena Dipierro (12 March 2026)

  • Professional Staff: Ms Jill (Jillian) Benn (12 March 2026)

  • Students (Postgraduate): Mr Jay Williams (Postgraduate Student Association President) (30 November 2026)

  • Students (Undergraduate): Mr Oliver Barrett (Student Guild President) (30 November 2026)