Senior Executive Team

Professor Helen McCutcheon commenced as the interim Pro Vice–Chancellor, Health Sciences in September 2022. She had previously worked as Deputy Pro Vice–Chancellor in the faculty. Before joining the University, Professor McCutcheon served as Head of the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work at University of Queensland, and as both Executive Dean at the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery and Vice Principal International for Health at King’s College London.

Professor McCutcheon has a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Public Health from the University of Adelaide and a PhD from the University of South Australia. She has expertise in leadership and change management, and her research background has been in nursing and midwifery with a focus on patient outcomes, caring for older patients in acute care and collaborating with King’s College London colleagues in experience–based co–design. Professor McCutcheon was named honorary Vice President of the Florence Nightingale Foundation in the United Kingdom in recognition of her contributions to nursing.

Professor Paul Brunton joined Curtin University as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic in 2022, having previously been the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Health Sciences at the University of Otago in New Zealand for four years. He is responsible for the learning and teaching portfolio, specifically achieving the University’s strategic goals in learning and teaching and ensuring an outstanding experience for our students.

After graduating from the University of Leeds, School of Dentistry in 1984, he obtained his Master of Science in Restorative Dentistry in 1992 and his PhD in 1996 from the University of Manchester. Professor Brunton graduated with a Doctor of Dental Science from the University of Otago in 2021. He was granted his Fellowship in Dental Surgery from The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1995 and in 2022 he was awarded a Fellowship by election from the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Professor Brunton is well published and his research interests include the development of new technologies to improve patient care, clinical and translational research, operative dentistry, specifically tooth preparation and the early diagnosis and treatment of tooth wear.

Professor Deborah Terry was appointed Curtin University’s Vice-Chancellor in February 2014. She is a Fellow and the immediate past President of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) and Chair of the Board of Universities Australia, the representative body of Australia’s universities.

Professor Terry is also a member of the Australian Research Council Advisory Council, Committee for Perth Board, St Hilda’s Anglican School Council, Australia and New Zealand School of Government Board and Australia’s Academic and Research Network Board, and a past Chair of the Australian Council of Learned Academies and the Australian Research Council’s College of Experts in the Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences.

Professor Terry completed her PhD in Social Psychology at the Australian National University in Canberra. She had a distinguished career at the University of Queensland, initially as an internationally recognised scholar in psychology, before filling a number of senior roles, including Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

Professor Jill Downie was appointed to the position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic in July 2012. In this role, she strategically leads teaching and learning and the student experience across the University. Equity and Diversity and the Centre for Aboriginal Studies are also important aspects of her portfolio.

Professor Downie holds a Bachelor of Applied Science and a PhD from Curtin University.  From 2007 to 2012 she was Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Health Sciences and also Professor of Nursing at Curtin University. She is the Education representative on the Australian National Commission of UNESCO and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Professor Downie is an established national and international researcher with numerous grants, publications and conference presentations, including keynote addresses.

Professor Seth Kunin has been Deputy Vice-Chancellor, International at Curtin University since 2016. In this role, he leads the University’s international activities, including strategic policy, international marketing strategy, and international partnerships.

Prior to joining the University, he was Vice-Principal, Internationalisation at the University of Aberdeen and also held senior roles at Durham University.

A prominent anthropologist, Professor Kunin attained his Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University in New York and his PhD in Anthropology from the University of Cambridge in the UK. His research focused on the application of structuralist theory and methodology to Jewish texts and culture.

Mrs Fiona Notley joined the University in 2018 and is the Chief Operating Officer (COO). In this role, she is responsible for ensuring the University corporate operations and services align with the strategic goals and business needs.

The COO portfolio includes people and culture, digital technology solutions, health and safety, audit, risk, audit and compliance, properties facilities and development, strategic communications along with other commercial activities supporting the University.

Prior to joining Curtin University, she has held diverse leadership roles at Murdoch University, including terms on the University Senate and Academic Council. Possessing over 20 years of experience in the Higher Education sector has given her a profound understanding of tertiary academic, research and administrative mechanisms, policies and constraints.

Mrs Notley is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Master of Business Administration. She is the current Chair of Universities Australia Deputy Vice Chancellor Corporates, Chair of Basketball Western Australia and a Non-Executive Director with Therapy Focus.

Professor Vanessa Chang commenced as Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Business and Law in September 2022 following a nine month period in the role as Interim PVC. From May 2019 to December 2021, Vanessa was the Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor.

Professor Chang joined Curtin in 1989 as a Tutor in the School of Information Systems. Her previous leadership roles in the University include Director of Learning Innovations where she led innovation and project teams to develop Massive Open Online Courses as well as leading transformational IT projects at Curtin, Dean of Learning and Teaching, and Head of School of Information Systems.

Professor Chang is a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society and an experienced leader in higher education. Her information systems research are focused in leadership, governance, and the use of data and systems in organisations. As an educator, she conducts research in learning pedagogies, in immersive and online learning.

Professor Archie Clements leads the Faculty of Health Sciences at Curtin University. Prior to joining the University, Professor Clements was the Director of the Research School of Population Health and Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the Australian National University in Canberra. The Research School of Population Health comprised of five academic units, including the flagship National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health.

Professor Clements has also worked at Imperial College London and the University of Glasgow. He has a Bachelor of Veterinary Science from the University of Sydney, a Master of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Glasgow and a PhD from the University of London. His research background is in the epidemiology, control and elimination of infectious diseases, focussing mainly on the Asia-Pacific region during the last decade. He has particular expertise in spatial epidemiology, operational research and community-based intervention studies and has been an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow.

Professor Alan Dench has been Pro Vice-Chancellor Humanities and Professor of Linguistics at Curtin University since 2016. He has ultimate responsibility for leading and managing the research and teaching programs across the three large schools that make up the Faculty of Humanities: the Schools of Design and the Built Environment, Education, and Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry.

Professor Dench has a Bachelor degree with Honours in Anthropology from UWA and Master and PhD degrees in Linguistics from the Australian National University. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, a Member of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, and a Vincent Fairfax Fellow.

His research focuses on the documentation and grammatical description of Australian Aboriginal languages, especially those of Western Australia. He has served as a member of the Australian Research Council’s College of Experts, the Executive Committee of the Australian Council of Graduate Research, and chaired the Committee of Deans of Graduate Schools in the Australian Group of Eight Universities.

Professor Jeremy Kilburn was appointed Curtin University’s Provost in August 2021. He was previously Pro Vice-Chancellor for Faculty of Science and Engineering from September 2018 to August 2021.

Prior to moving to Curtin, he worked for the University of Aberdeen as Senior Vice-Principal; his achievements there included providing executive leadership on trans-national education, including the Aberdeen-Curtin alliance that was announced in early 2017.

He has also worked at the University of Wales, Bangor and the University of Southampton before joining Queen Mary University of London in September 2010 as Professor of Organic Chemistry and Vice Principal Science and Engineering. Over the last 20 years, Professor Kilburn has established an international reputation both as a respected chemistry researcher and in leading the expansion of important industry and global partnerships.

Professor Kilburn has a degree in Natural Sciences and a PhD from Cambridge University. His research interests include organic synthesis methodology and natural product synthesis, supramolecular chemistry, and application of combinatorial chemistry to the design of synthetic receptors and most recently to development of modified electrodes for bio sensing and fuel cells.

Professor Linley Lord has been Pro Vice-Chancellor of Curtin Singapore since 2018. She plays a critical role in strengthening Curtin Singapore’s relationships with industry and government and enhancing its reputation in teaching and research.

Professor Lord commenced with Curtin in 2001 and has held a number of significant positions including as a member of the University Council and Council Executive and Chair of the Academic Board. She is the Co-Lead of the Curtin Athena SWAN project and was the inaugural Academic Director of the Curtin Leadership Centre. She is the Director of the Maureen Bickley Centre for Women in Leadership and was part of the AusAid Leadership for Development Program at Curtin.

Her research interests are in gender and leadership, leadership, feminist research methods and qualitative research methods. She holds a Doctor of Business Administration and a Postgraduate Diploma Business (Human Resource Development) from Curtin and a Bachelor of Science from The University of WA.

Professor John Evans has been the Pro Vice-Chancellor and President of Curtin University Dubai since 2018. Prior to his current appointment, he held a number of senior roles at Curtin University, including Dean International at the Curtin Business School; Director of the Asia Business Centre; Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Curtin Malaysia; and Head of Department of Finance and Banking. He holds a PhD from the University of Illinois and is a Fellow of the CPA.

Professor Evans is an active researcher and publishes in the corporate governance arena. He currently supervises a number of doctoral students and is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Business Research.

Professor Simon Leunig commenced as Pro Vice-Chancellor and President of Curtin Malaysia in January 2020. Prior to this role, he held the position of Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor, International and ASEAN Dean at Curtin University.

He possesses more than 25 years experience in transnational and international education and has significant expertise in developing strategic alliances and education initiatives across Asia, Europe, Africa and the ASEAN region.

Professor Leunig holds a Bachelor of Physical Education and a Master of Education from The University of Western Australia and an MBA from Edith Cowan University. He also graduated from Harvard University’s MDP for Higher Education Managers.

Professor Lina Pelliccione commenced as the inaugural Pro-Vice Chancellor of Curtin Mauritius in January 2019. Prior to taking on this role, she was Head of the School of Education and Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Faculty of Humanities at Curtin University.

Professor Pelliccione’s background is in education and innovation, in particular in the field of information and communication technology (ICT). Her research interests include the adoption and implementation of ICT in teaching and learning; enhancing learning through the use of ICT; teacher education; online learning; innovation and change.

She holds a Doctor of Philosophy, a Master of Education, a Postgraduate Diploma in Education Studies, a Bachelor of Education from Curtin University and a Diploma of Teaching from the Western Australian Institute of Technology.

Mr David Menarry is Curtin University’s Chief Financial Officer. He has extensive corporate experience including in corporate finance, due diligence, stock exchange listings, risk management and audit in Australia, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

Mr Menarry is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand and a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He also holds a number of board and community-based roles.

Dr Marco Schultheis is the Chief Strategy Officer at Curtin University. His portfolio responsibilities include strategic planning, strategic projects portfolio management, market and institutional research and business intelligence and analysis.

Dr Schultheis has a Bachelor of Commerce, a Master of Strategic Marketing and a Doctorate of Business Administration.

He is a graduate of the Australian Company Directors Course and a graduate member of the AICD. In 2017 he completed a high potential leaders program at Harvard University. Dr Schultheis has also served on the University’s Council and as non-Executive Director on the YMCA, Perth Board.

Mr Al Donald, an experienced commercial lawyer with international experience, has been Chief Legal Officer of Curtin University since 2018. He has overall responsibility for all legal aspects of the University’s operations, and also a broader role across a range of strategic issues and initiatives with a risk or governance dimension.

Mr Donald was a longstanding partner of leading international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, based in their Sydney and Perth offices, and a non-executive director of Tourism Western Australia, including chairing the Audit & Risk Committee. He began his career in Perth, before leaving to work in New York for Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, gaining admission to the New York Bar at that time. He is an Honours graduate in Law of the University of Western Australia.

Mr Donald has significant experience as a strategic advisor and manager, having led Herbert Smith Freehills’ Australian Mergers & Acquisitions Group and sat on its Global Council, the firm’s ultimate governing body.

Professor Mark Ogden commenced as Pro Vice-Chancellor, Science and Engineering in August 2021. Prior to this, he was Head of the School of Molecular and Life Sciences.

He worked at the University of Oxford, and the University of Western Australia, before joining Curtin in 1997 on a Curtin University Research Fellowship. His previous leadership roles at Curtin include Head of the Department of Chemistry, Director of the Nanochemistry Research Institute, and Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research Training.

Professor Ogden has a degree in Chemistry and a PhD from the University of Western Australia. He has educated Curtin students in inorganic and general chemistry from first year through to PhD, and has research interests in supramolecular chemistry, lanthanide coordination chemistry, hydrogel formation, and most recently metal-based light emitting materials.

Professor Richard Blythe began as the Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Humanities in June 2021. Prior to this, he was the Dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech in the United States and Dean of the School of Architecture + Design at RMIT University, Melbourne Australia.

Professor Blythe’s achievements include taking a lead role in establishing a national research centre for smart design and construction in Washington DC, creating a campus-based Creativity and Innovation District and providing executive leadership on strategy and international networks and programs.

Professor Blythe has a PhD in Design/Practice-based Research from RMIT University. His research interests are founded in a passion for creative practice, developing approaches to creative practice research and in building communities of creative practitioner researchers.

Professor Jon Yorke was appointed Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic at Curtin University in December 2021. In this role he strategically leads teaching and learning and the student experience across the University.

Jon has also worked as the Academic Registrar, providing overarching leadership on academic policy development and implementation. He has a particular interest in assessment and the promotion of academic integrity.

Jon joined Curtin in 2008 from the University of Plymouth (UK), where he was the Educational Development and Learning Technologies (EDaLT) Acting Head of Department and Program Director of academic development programs for new and experienced staff.

Professor Fitzgerald is also the CEO of Connectivity Traumatic Brain Injury Australia and leads a team of researchers and postgraduate students in nationally coordinated research focused on understanding and preventing the loss of function that occurs following neurotrauma.