Peter Høj

Peter Bordier Høj AC (born 29 April 1957) is a Danish-Australian biochemist, who is Vice-Chancellor and President of The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. In 2017 Professor Høj (pronounced "Hoy") was chair of the Group of Eight[1] – the peak lobby group representing Australia's research-intensive universities. Høj has been in controversy for his links to the Government of China[2], which Prof Høj has been transparent about. [3]

Early years and education

Peter Høj was born in 1957, to John and Bodil Høj in Copenhagen, Denmark.

He was educated at the University of Copenhagen, majoring in biochemistry and chemistry. He has a Master of Science degree in biochemistry and genetics, and a PhD in photosynthesis.

While working in the Carlsberg Laboratory he met and later married an Australian researcher, Dr Robyn van Heeswijck (1956-2003). They moved to Australia in 1987, and Høj is now a dual Australian/Danish citizen.

Career

Høj became Vice-Chancellor and President of The University of Queensland on 8 October 2012.[4]

Previously, Høj’s senior full-time appointments included:

Appointments, Memberships, Honours and Awards

Høj is a member of the Medical Research Future Fund Advisory Board[6], a member of the STEM Males Champions of Change,[7] and a member of the Leadership Council on Cultural Diversity.[8] In 2015 he received the 2015 Outstanding Individual of the Year Award from the Council.[9]

From 2011 to 2014 Hoj was a member of the CSIRO board.[10]

He is a member of the Australian Medical Research Advisory Board (AMRAB).[11]

Høj was awarded an Australian Government Centenary Medal for service to Australia through wine research and science.[12]

He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering[13] and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) in the United States.[14] He is a Foreign Member (Natural Sciences Class) of The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters.

In January 2019 Høj was made a Companion (AC) of the Order of Australia for "eminent service to higher education and to science, particularly to the commercialisation of research, and to policy development and reform."[12]

In April 2019, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) presented Professor Høj with its Asia-Pacific Leadership Award.

Høj has three Honorary Doctorates, from the University of Copenhagen, the University of South Australia[15]and The University of Adelaide.

He was a Senior Consultant to Hanban (Council of the Confucius Institute Headquarters)[16] in the Oceania Region, and a former member of SUSTech President’s International Advisory Council.[17]

Drew Pavlou expulsion controversy

In 2019-2020, Høj became involved in a controversy over the threatened expulsion of the student Drew Pavlou. The University of Queensland, under Høj's leadership, alleged that Pavlou had been guilty of bullying and harassment. Pavlou alleged that this was instead retaliation for his criticism of the university's excessively close relations to the Chinese government.[18]. Drew Pavlou launched legal action against Høj in June 2020, claiming $3.5m in damages [19].

References
  1. "Professor Peter Høj, Vice-Chancellor and President - About UQ - The University of Queensland, Australia". www.uq.edu.au. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  2. "The Chinese Government co-funded at least four University of Queensland courses - ABC News". www.abc.net.au. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  3. "Red Flags". Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  4. "UQ welcomes new Vice-Chancellor". UQ News. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  5. "Hoj takes charge in Australia | The Scientist Magazine®". The Scientist Magazine®. Retrieved 19 July 2017.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  6. "UQ leaders join Medical Research Future Fund advisory board - Research Week - The University of Queensland, Australia". www.uq.edu.au. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  7. "Peter Høj - Male Champions of Change". Male Champions of Change. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  8. Dominic.O'Grady (6 December 2016). "Corporate leaders join cultural diversity council". www.humanrights.gov.au. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  9. The University of Queensland, UQ News (7 December 2015). "UQ Vice-Chancellor receives Confucian award from China's Vice-Premier". UQ News. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  10. CSIRO. "Board membership". www.csiro.au. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  11. "Members:Australian Medical Research Advisory Board (AMRAB)". Australian Government Department of Health. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  12. "Media Notes: Companion (AC) of the Order of Australia: Peter Bordier Hoj" (PDF). Governor General of Australia. 26 January 2019. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  13. Inc., Advanced Solutions International. "Fellows Directory (Public) | Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE)". www.atse.org.au. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  14. "Academy honours UQ's innovative Vice-Chancellor". UQ News. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  15. UniSA. "The University of South Australia: Home". www.unisa.edu.au. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  16. "UQ gains seat at key China table". UQ News. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  17. "SUSTech hosts 2018 International Advisory Council meeting - Latest - SUSTC". www.sustc.edu.cn. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  18. Patrick, Aaron (26 May 2020). "University risks making Drew Pavlou a free speech martyr". Financial Review. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  19. McKenna, Michael (11 June 2020). "UQ student Drew Pavlou launches $3.5m legal action". The Australian. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
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