After 30 years at the University of Otago, I’m moving on.
My departure is bittersweet. On the one hand, Otago holds a very special place in my academic heart. Dunedin is my home town. The University of Otago is my home university. I earned my PhD there, and then for three decades I’ve enjoyed the first half (or more) of my academic career there.
I’ve been lucky enough to have held various interesting roles, including Head of Department from 2006 – 2011. During my time at Otago, I’ve undertaken super interesting research, worked with wonderful people, supervised great students as they completed their PhDs and more – all of which you can see on this website.
But it’s time for a new challenge.
I’ve been asked to join Griffith University, specifically the Griffith Institute for Tourism where, like at Otago, I will hold the role of Distinguished Professor of Sustainable Tourism. I’m very excited to be taking on this new role, meeting new colleagues, and even moving to a new city. The timing feels right for me, and the new role and environment will offer me some excellent challenges for the remainder of my academic career.
However, this is far from goodbye. I’ll be retaining links with the University of Otago (more about that in another post), and I’ll continue to collaborate with colleagues all over the world, including New Zealand. In fact, much of my work is based in – or focussed on – New Zealand.
A bit like a PhD student leaving the comfort of university life to head into the workforce, I’m leaving the comfort of three decades of my professional career to see what I can do in the bigger, wider world beyond the shores of Aotearoa.
I’m excited.