Executive Group
Professor Jonathan Powles
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning, Teaching & Students)
Executive Assistant - Jillian Martin; jillian.martin@uws.ac.uk
Professor Jonathan Powles joined UWS in August 2020 as Vice-Principal, Learning and Students.
An Australian, Jonathan has had an academic career in Australia and the UK with a focus on academic innovation, learning and teaching. He joins UWS from the University of New England in Australia where he helds the post of Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic Innovation since 2017.
In that role Jonathan had responsibility for strategic programs for academic innovation, transformation and student success. He led several institution-wide programs and services in a wide range of teaching, student and technology-centred areas including revising the portfolio of programs across UNE; curriculum design and innovation; academic development; learner analytics; learning technology refreshment; online and face-to-face mentoring and personal tutoring for students; and the provision of relevant and up-to-date services and support for students including academic skills, registry, careers, counselling, library services and student orientation.
Prior to his Pro-Vice chancellor role, Jonathan has fulfilled a number of senior roles related to learning and teaching, Director of Teaching and Learning at the University of Canberra (2013-2017); Director of Education within the School of Music at the Australian National University (ANU); Director of Educational Development within the College of Law at ANU; Associate Director (academic) within the Office of the Vice-Chancellor at ANU; and Head of the Department of Musicology in the School of Music at ANU.
Jonathan worked in the UK between 1993 and 2000 as a lecturer in Music at Liverpool Hope University. As a musician, he is a composer, conductor and lecturer in music history and theory. He conducted the Liverpool Hope orchestra from 1993-1999 and the ANU choral society from 2002-2012.
Alongside his professional and academic track record Jonathan is a keen amateur astronomer – and his work in spectroscopy and variable star photometry has seen him making contributions to pro-am observing campaigns and research – and he is an author on several published and submitted papers in astronomy and astrophysics.