Professor Peter Høj AC

Professor Peter Høj AC served as Vice-Chancellor and President of The University of Queensland between 2012 and 2020. He was previously Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of South Australia (2007-2012), Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Research Council (2004-2007) and Managing Director of the Australian Wine Research Institute (1997-2004).

He was educated at the University of Copenhagen, majoring in biochemistry and chemistry, and has a Master of Science degree in biochemistry and genetics, a PhD in photosynthesis, an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Copenhagen, an Honorary Doctorate from the University of South Australia and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Adelaide.

Professor Høj is a Director of the Board of Group of Eight (Go8) Universities and in 2017 was the Chair. He is a member of the Australian Medical Research Advisory Board (AMRAB) and from 1 January 2019, Professor Høj is a member of the Wine Australia Board.

He served on the CSIRO Board 2011-2014, and was member of the Prime Minister’s Science Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC) (1999-2004, and 2006-2007).

He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and a Foreign Member of The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters. In December 2018, Professor Høj was announced as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and in January 2019, Professor Høj was named a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in the Australia Day Honours for eminent service to higher education and to science, particularly to the commercialisation of research, and to policy development and reform.