Rate My Professor Sarah Maddison

Professor Sarah Maddison is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education & Student Experience) at the University of New South Wales. She holds a BSc(Hons) and a PhD and is a Fellow of the Astronomical Society of Australia. Professor Maddison has worked in higher education for 25 years, including 10 years in senior leadership roles such as Department Chair, School Dean, Faculty Executive Dean, Pro-Vice Chancellor, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education, Experience & Employability) at Swinburne University of Technology prior to joining UNSW in 2023.

Her research specializations are in astrophysics with a focus on planet formation, explored through observational and numerical methods using the world’s largest radio telescopes and supercomputers. She has held leadership positions including chair of the Women in Astronomy Chapter of the Astronomical Society of Australia, the International Astronomical Union Working Group for Women in Astronomy, and the CSIRO Australia Telescope Time Assignment Committee, as well as membership on the Square Kilometre Array Cradle of Life Working Group, the Editorial Advisory Board of the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, and the Australian Research Council College of Experts. Under her leadership, teams have received an Australian government Office of Learning & Teaching Citation and an Open Universities Australia NOVA award for innovation in online learning. The Division of Education & Student Experience at UNSW encompasses Future Student, Registrar & Student Services, and Education & Student Experience functions.