Suzanne Lazaroo
28 November 2025: This year, the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»³öÆ· conferred honorary awards to Professor Jennie Scarvell and Professor Tariq Ezaz and an academic award to Vice-Chancellor The Honourable Bill Shorten, in recognition of distinguished, exemplary and extraordinarily impactful careers in the academia, leadership and governance, and research sectors.
Emeritus Professor Scarvell received the award on her retirement from the University earlier this year, after a long clinical career as a physiotherapist, and in academia as a teacher, researcher and PhD supervisor.
“Emeritus Professor Scarvell has made significant contributions to our institution over many years. She is an accomplished, well-respected academic with substantial clinical experience in physiotherapy and has consistently performed above and beyond, always embracing UC’s values,” said Professor Rachel Gibson, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health.
Emeritus Professor Scarvell completed her PhD in 2004, has published over 106 peer-reviewed scientific papers, and supervised 20 PhD students to completion.
In collaboration with then Executive Dean – and current University Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Professor Michelle Lincoln, Emeritus Professor Scarvell developed the Faculty of Health’s ‘Areas of Research Strength’, an incubator for research groups with ambitions to reach Centre status. This created an environment for all Faculty academics to find a research home, contributing to promotion success and increased faculty research income.
In 2023, Emeritus Professor Scarvell established the Clinical Research Rehabilitation and Translation (CRRT) group.
Emeritus Professor Tariq Ezaz will be retiring from the University’s Faculty of Science and Technology at the end of 2025.
The internationally renowned biologist’s multidisciplinary expertise spans genetics and genomics, cell biology, cytogenetics, bioinformatics, and biodiversity conservation.
Through pioneering contributions to evolutionary and comparative genomics, Emeritus Professor Ezaz has shaped the contemporary understanding of genome evolution and sex chromosome biology, particularly in reptiles.
“Tariq is a highly respected scholar on the global stage, and his work is distinguished by its breadth and translational impact, bridging fundamental science with applied solutions in agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture, and conservation,” said Professor Janine Deakin, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology.
Emeritus Professor Scarvell and Emeritus Professor Ezaz join former colleagues Emeritus Professor Rheena Ghildyal (Faculty of Science and Technology), Emeritus Professor Ting Wang (Faculty of Education), Emeritus Professor Tom Lowrie (Faculty of Education), Emeritus Professor Tracy Ireland (Faculty of Arts and Design) and Emeritus Professor Jen Webb (Faculty of Arts and Design), whose awards were conferred earlier this year on their retirement from UC.
The special academic award of Professor of Practice has been conferred to the University’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Bill Shorten. The title reflects his significant professional experience, expertise and achievements.
Professor Shorten’s academic background, including his postgraduate qualification, combined with his policy expertise and executive leadership, has uniquely positioned him as a thought leader in governance, social policy, and institutional transformation.
The conferral notes his distinguished career in politics spanning over 17 years, his leadership and service to Australia as the former Leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 2013 to 2019, and various Ministerial roles over this time.
Prior to this, he trained as a lawyer and was an organiser with the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU), rising to AWU national secretary; he attracted national notice when he played a prominent role as a negotiator following the Beaconsfield Mine Collapse in Tasmania in 2006. At the same time, he completed an MBA at the University of Melbourne Business School.
After the 2010 election, Professor Shorten served first as Assistant Treasurer, then Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation, Minister for Workplace Relations, and Minister of Education.
He was also instrumental in the creation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Following the ALP winning the 2022 election, he became both the Minister for Government Services and Minister for the NDIS.
In January of this year, Professor Shorten took on the role of Vice-Chancellor and President of the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»³öÆ·, leaving his long and distinguished political career to pursue a lifelong passion to strengthen the education sector, and make it more accessible to all.
“Bill exemplifies the values we hold dear at UC, of offering and enabling opportunity to all, and serving as an advocate and champion to reduce inequalities wherever possible,” said Chancellor Lisa Paul AO PSM.
“This Professorial appointment very much reflects his distinguished career, academic credentials, intellectual contributions, and transformative impact on Australian society and the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»³öÆ· itself – and will enable further engagement in higher education leadership, international representation, academic mentorship and public scholarship.”
As a Professor of Practice, Professor Shorten joins other esteemed former politicians and public servants in academia including former Australian Democrats leader and United Nations Treaty Expert Member Natasha Stott Despoja AO, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Tony Smith at the Australian National University, former Liberal Party Senator The Honourable Marise Payne at Western Sydney University and former Race Discrimination Commissioner Dr Tim Soutphommasane at the University of Sydney.