Professor Colin Stirling

President and Vice-Chancellor, Flinders University

Professor Colin J Stirling brings extensive experience in research, teaching and management to Flinders University as President and Vice-Chancellor.

Professor Stirling’s career provides a strong foundation for his ambitions for the University. Born and educated in Scotland he gained a BSc in Biological Sciences at the University of Edinburgh followed by a PhD in genetics from Glasgow University.

Professor Stirling was then awarded a NATO Research Fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley before joining the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom where he was appointed Professor of Genetics in 1998. During his time at Manchester he was awarded a number of prestigious prizes and awards including the Jenner Research Fellowship from the Lister Institute of Preventative Medicine, a Wolfson Research Fellowship from the Royal Society, the Balfour Prize from the Genetics Society and the Fleming Award from the Society for General Microbiology. He was appointed Education Dean in the Faculty of Life Sciences at Manchester in 2001, then Associate Vice-President eLearning in 2007 and Vice-President for Teaching and Learning in 2008.

In 2011, Professor Stirling was appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic at Curtin University, in Western Australia where he was later appointed Provost and Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

Throughout his academic career, Professor Stirling has established a record of leadership, innovation and successful change management in Higher Education.

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