Welcome from the Dean
Welcome to the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Arts.
We study and learn on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong Peoples, land that has always been a meeting point for many peoples. We acknowledge Elders past and present and the importance of Indigenous Knowledges to this University’s and this Faculty’s past, present and future.
We are Australia’s pre-eminent Arts Faculty, at the heart of the country’s second oldest and highest rated University. Our flagship Bachelor of Arts degree has been offered for over 160 years. It is the number one choice in Arts for generations of students engaging with humanities, social sciences and languages. We are committed to equity and to civic responsibility, to courage and creativity, to rigour and integrity, and to critical independence.
The Arts are needed now more than ever to take carriage of the significant challenges of our time – climate change, pandemics, displacement of populations, justice, conflict, governance and trust. In this context strong critical thinkers with a diversity of knowledge and expertise are essential. Our work in partnership and our deep conversations with the communities in which we live and with our national and global community, enable this.
The humanities and social sciences are core to building the world we want to live in. Our students are at the heart of what we do. Arts is a fantastic career choice, that equips our graduates with what our world needs for our shared and complex futures. I welcome you to our Faculty, and look forward to working together.
Whatever path you choose I know that you will have an exciting and rewarding experience at Melbourne. I warmly welcome you to the Arts community. Professor Jennifer Balint, Dean – Faculty of Arts
Professor Jennifer Balint is the Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne. Jennifer’s research focuses on state crime, genocide and access to justice, with a focus on the constitutive function of law in societies and transitional justice.
Executive Leadership Team
The Executive Leadership team, led by the Dean, provides leadership and management for the Faculty of Arts. The Executive Team includes the Deputy Dean, Faculty Executive Director, Associate Deans and Heads of School.
-
Professor Jennifer Balint
Dean
Jennifer’s research focuses on state crime, genocide and access to justice, with a focus on the constitutive function of law in societies and transitional justice.
-
Tony McKimmie
Faculty Executive Director
Tony joined the Faculty in 2019 from Oxfam Australia where he was Chief Operating Officer. He previously held executive management roles at Lonely Planet Publications Melbourne.
-
Professor Beth Driscoll
Deputy Dean (Academic)
Beth is Associate Professor in Publishing and Communications. Her research interests include fiction reading practices and the contemporary publishing industry.
Heads of School
-
Professor Andrew Rosser
Director, Asia Institute
Andrew Rosser is Professor of Southeast Asian Studies. His research and teaching interests centre on the political economy of development in Asia, especially Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia.
-
Associate Professor Ika Willis
Head, School of Culture and Communication
Ika Willis is an Education Focused academic with teaching and research specialisms in literary reception studies, and emerging interests in critical edtech and the theory and practice of assessment.
-
Professor Margaret Cameron
Head, School of Historical & Philosophical Studies
Margaret is a distinguished philosopher with specialisations in Aristotle and in the Histories of Philosophy of Language and Mind, of Logic, and of Aesthetics.
-
Professor John Hajek
Head, School of Language and Linguistics
John is a linguist and Italianist with a wide range of teaching and research interests including language education, European Studies. Sociolinguistics and phonetics.
-
Professor Belinda Hewitt
Head, School of Social and Political Sciences
Belinda is a Professor in Sociology with a research focus on gender differences in relationships and family dynamics and the use of longitudinal and life course approaches to understanding changes in families.
Faculty Associate Deans
-
Professor Alfredo Martinez-Exposito
Associate Dean (Diversity and Inclusion)
Alfredo is Professor of Spanish, with research interests in critical theory, literature, and cinema. His work explores gender, sexuality, and the politics of the body in post-2008 cultural contexts, engaging queer theory, critical masculinity studies, and decolonial aesthetics, with current projects on masculinity and representation across Spain and Latin America.
-
Professor Sandra Phillips
Associate Dean (Indigenous)
Sandra is a Professor in Publishing and Communications. Her research interests include Australian publishing and national and transnational Indigenous literature.
-
Professor Kate McGregor
Associate Dean (International)
Kate McGregor is a historian of Indonesia. She has over 25 years’ experience of engagement with Indonesia and Indonesian universities and previously served as Deputy Associate Dean International Indonesia (2021-2023) for the Faculty and as President of the Asian Studies Association of Australia (2021-2022).
-
Professor Fiona Fidler
Associate Dean (Research)
Fiona is a philosopher of science with a long-standing interest in statistical controversies. Her current work in ‘metascience’ focuses on improving research culture and peer review systems to create a more trustworthy scientific evidence base.
-
Professor Rachael Diprose
Associate Dean (Partnerships)
Rachael teaches in the Master of Development Studies program, supports collaborations and partnerships with Indonesian universities, government and civil society organisations for the School of Social and Political Sciences and has convened the University's Indonesia Forum over multiple years.
Deputy Associate Deans
Deputy Associate Dean Research Grants - Associate Professor Matthew Champion
Deputy Associate Dean Research Impact - Dr Kate Williams
Deputy Associate Dean Graduate Coursework & Director GSHSS - Associate Professor Delia Lin (Dr Kellie Frost Acting Semester 1, 2026)
Deputy Associate Dean Undergraduate & Director BA - Dr Alexandra Dane
Deputy Associate Dean Graduate Research - Professor Heather Benbow
Associate Dean International (China) - Professor Anthony Spires
Deputy Associate Dean International (Indonesia) - Associate Professor Edwin Jurriens
Deputy Associate Dean International (India) - Dr Pradeep Taneja
Deputy Associate Dean Diversity & Inclusion (Academic Disability Inclusion) - Dr Judy Kroo
Deputy Associate Dean Sustainability – Professor Chris Healy
Deputy Associate Dean Course Innovation and Quality – Dr CQ Quinan
Deputy Associate Dean Indigenous – Dr Lou Bennett (Dr Margaret Harvey Acting Semester 1, 2026)
Deputy Associate Dean Partnerships and Student Opportunities - Dr David McGinniss