University of Waikato Academic Leaders

Vice-Chancellor

Professor Roy Crawford

BSc (Hons) PhD DSc Belfast FIMechE FREng FIPENZ

Professor Crawford is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering, whose primary research interest has been in the mechanical properties and processing behaviour of plastics. Previously Senior Pro Vice-Chancellor at Queen’s University, Belfast, with special responsibility for Research and Development, he has on-going research and business interests in New Zealand associated with the establishment of a new polymer research centre. He has published seven books, more than 270 papers and has been a member of numerous government panels and research grant committees in the UK. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Professor Alister Jones

BSc Otago MSc PhD Waikato DipT MRSNZ

Professor Jones was appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor in 2011. He is the former Dean of Education and was previously Research Professor and Director of the Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research at the Faculty of Education. He has managed and directed research projects that have informed policy, curriculum and teacher development in New Zealand and internationally. His main areas of research are curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment, particularly in science and technology education. He has acted as an international consultant in curriculum and assessment and building educational research capability. In 2000, he was awarded the NZ Science and Technology Medal for his significant contribution to the development of technology education both nationally and internationally.

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Māori) and Dean Of Māori And Pacific Development

Professor Linda Smith

BA MA PhD Auck DipT

Professor Smith (Ngati Awa, Ngati Porou) was appointed as Pro Vice - Chancellor Māori at the University of Waikato in 2007. Professor Smith previously held the Chair in Education at The University of Auckland and was joint director of Nga Pae o te Maramatanga (Horizons of Insight), the National Institute of Research Excellence in Māori Development and Advancement. Professor Smith’s PhD in education was conferred by The University of Auckland in 1996. Her work in the field of Māori education and indigenous people’s education generally, is renowned both here in New Zealand and internationally.

Dean Of Arts And Social Sciences (Acting)

Dr David Lumsden

BA(Hons)London MA PhD Princeton

David Lumsden has been a member of staff at this university since 1979. He has previously held the positions of Chairperson of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Pro-Dean Graduate and Postgraduate, and Chairperson of the School of Social Sciences. He has published in the areas of the Philosophy of Language, particularly in relation to the theory of reference and pragmatics, and the Philosophy of Mind.

Dean Of Computing And Mathematical Sciences

Professor Geoff Holmes

BSc (Hons) PhD Southhampton

Professor Holmes gained an Honours Degree and Doctorate in Mathematics from the University of Southampton in the UK. Following a research position in the engineering department at Cambridge University, he joined Waikato in 1987 as a lecturer in computer science, and rose up the academic ranks. He was appointed Dean of the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences in 2008. His major research interest is in machine learning, a topic that involves mathematics, statistics and computer science. He is best known both locally and internationally for his contributions to applied machine learning, deploying theoretical frameworks in practical situations. He is currently involved in collaborative research with local industry to provide automatic analysis of analytical testing procedures.

Dean Of Law

Professor Bradford W Morse

BA Rutgers LLB British Columbia LLM York

Professor Morse gained his Bachelor of Arts, with a major in History and Sociology from Rutgers College and Livingston College, Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA in 1972. In 1975 he gained his Bachelor of Laws from the University of British Columbia, and his Masters of Law in 1981 from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University. Professor Morse was previously a Professor of Law at the University of Ottawa, Canada and is also a Barrister at Law and Solicitor, Law Society of Upper Canada (Ontario), since 1979. The widely-published author is a specialist in Indigenous issues and is a frequent adviser to governments and Indigenous organisations in Canada and Australia. Professor Morse served as Chief of Staff to the Canadian Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs in 1993-96, and was Director of Research and Planning for the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of Manitoba in 1988-91. He has been a Fulbright Senior Scholar, and was a Canadian Visiting Fellow to Australia.

Dean Of Management

Professor Frank Scrimgeour

BAgSc (Hons) Lincoln PhD Hawai’i BD Melbourne College of Divinity

Professor Scrimgeour holds a BAgSc with 1st class honours from Lincoln College, a PhD (Agricultural and Resource Economics) from the University of Hawai'i and a BD from Melbourne College of Divinity. Previously he has worked with NZ Meat and Wool Boards Economic Service, Christian Leaders Training College of Papua New Guinea, and the Environment and Policy Institute at the East West Centre in Honolulu. His current research focuses on the economics of natural resources and the environment. He is currently President of the New Zealand Association of Economists.

Dean of Science and Engineering

Professor Bruce Clarkson

BSc MSc DPhil Waikato

Professor Clarkson completed his BSc, MSc and DPhil at the University of Waikato, and joined the then Department of Science and Industrial Research in 1980, after completing his PhD in botany. He has worked for Landcare Research and rejoined the University of Waikato in 1999 as a lecturer. Professor Clarkson is recognised as one of New Zealand’s foremost authorities on ecological restoration, and leads a $300,000 per year government-funded research programme looking at the best methods to restore indigenous biodiversity in cities. He has worked on a number of local restoration initiatives and in 2006 was awarded the country’s premier conservation award.

Dean of Education

Professor Roger Moltzen

TTC, DipT, BEd, MEd, PhD (Waikato)

Professor Roger Moltzen is a former school teacher and school principal. Prior to being appointed Deputy Dean of the Faculty, he was Chair of the Department of Human Development and Counselling. He has led numerous research and development contracts in both inclusive education, and the education of gifted and talented students. His current research focuses on talent development across the lifespan. In 2005 he was awarded the Prime Minister’s Supreme Award for Tertiary Teaching Excellence.

Pro Vice-Chancellor Teaching and Learning

Professor Richard Coll

BSc MSc PhD Canterbury

Professor Richard Coll completed his BSc, MSc and PhD at the University of Canterbury, and joined the University of Waikato in 1995. He has previously taught chemistry at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, and the University of West Indies. Professor Coll is currently Director of the Cooperative Education Unit within the Faculty of Science and Engineering and is a member of several professional industry bodies including the Royal Society of New Zealand, the New Zealand Institute of Chemists, and the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST). Professor Coll's research interests include learners' mental models for scientific conceptions and use of analogy along with aspects of cooperative education including assessment, improving service quality and learning for students on work placements.

Pro Vice-Chancellor Research (Acting)

Professor Mark Apperley

BE PhD Auck FNZCS MIEEE MACM

Professor Apperley was appointed PVC (Research) in July 2011. Prior to his appointment he was a Professor in Computer Sciences, and he was Dean of the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences from 2003 to 2008. He has been a trustee of the University’s Research Trust since its establishment, the Deputy Chair of the Research Committee for several years, and he played a major role in the development of the Summer Research Scholarship programme. He has also served on a number of international research advisory bodies. Professor Apperley gained his Bachelor of Engineering and PhD in electrical engineering from Auckland University, and undertook post-doctoral research at Imperial College in London. This is a 12 month appointment while Professor Al Gillespie is on study leave.

Pro Vice-Chancellor Postgraduate

Professor Kay Weaver

BA PhD Stirling

Professor Weaver began her working life with the West Midlands Police Force in Birmingham, England. She then went on to complete a BA and PhD through Stirling University's prestigious Department of Film and Media Studies and worked as a media researcher for the Stirling Media Research Institute. She joined the University of Waikato’s Department of Screen and Media Studies in 1995, and in 1999 moved to the Department of Management Communication. She was appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor Postgraduate in August 2011. Professor Weaver has a range of research interests in communication, media, and public relations. She has published widely in journals and edited book collections and is co-author and co-editor of a large number of books. Her research draws on a range of theoretical and methodological approaches including audience and media user research, communication effects, critical, cultural, and poststructuralist analysis.

Pro Vice-Chancellor International

Associate Professor Ed Weymes

BSc (Hons) Leicester BMS Waikato PhD Cranfield Associate

Associate Professor Ed Weymes obtained a BSc with Honours from Leicester Polytechnic and a BMS from the University of Waikato. He completed his doctorate at Cranfield University's School of Management in the United Kingdom, before moving to Canada to take up a teaching position at Laurentian University. Dr Weymes has worked for the Saskatchewan Government and the University of Regina, and was responsible for the development of one of the first university exchange programmes with China. He holds Visiting Professorial appointments at China's Shandong and Shanghai Universities and in 1991, was appointed Director of Executive Education at Waikato University, where he designed and implemented the University's MBA programme. In 2002 he was appointed Associate Dean International for the Waikato Management School and assumed the position of Pro Vice-Chancellor International in 2009. Dr Weymes has published a number of books including co-authoring Peak Performance: Business Lessons from the World’s Top Sports Organisations, which was HarperCollins business book of 2000, and has written a number of articles on Eastern and Western Management practices. Dr Weymes is also a guest lecture on the MBA programmes at Shanghai and Renmin Universities in China.