Carolyn Evans
Griffith University Vice Chancellor
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Carolyn Maree Evans FASSA (born 1970 in Melbourne[1]) is an Australian academic administrator. She is currently the vice-chancellor of University of Melbourne in Australia.
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1970 (age 55–56)
Carolyn Evans | |
|---|---|
Professor Evans in 2021 | |
| 5th Vice Chancellor and President of the Griffith University | |
| In office 2019 – 22 April 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Professor Ian O'Connor AC |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Carolyn Maree Evans 1970 (age 55–56) |
| Profession | University Vice Chancellor |
| Spouse | Stephen Donaghue |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne University of Oxford |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | Melbourne Law School University of Melbourne Griffith University |
Main interests | Law, human rights, and religious freedoms |
Academic career
Following the completion of her doctorate in 1999, Evans was appointed a stipendiary lecturer in law at Exeter College, Oxford.[2] After the two year post ended, she returned to Australia where she joined the academic staff of Melbourne Law School.[2]
Evans has held several senior academic positions including Dean and Harrison Moore Professor of Law at the University of Melbourne Law School and deputy vice-chancellor and deputy provost at the University of Melbourne.[3]
In February 2019, Evans was appointed vice-chancellor and president of Griffith University, becoming the first woman to hold that position.[4][5][6]
She became President of the Australian Higher Education Industrial Association in 2021[7] and chaired the Innovative Research Universities (IRU) from 2021 to 2022.[8] She was a board member of Open Universities Australia from 2019 to 2023, and is currently a board member of Universities Australia.[9][10]
Evans is a director of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA),[11] and has been chair of the State Advisory Committee since 2023.
In April 2026 The University of Melbourne announced the appointment of Evans as their 22nd Vice-Chancellor, commencing in October 2026.[12]
Honours
Evans was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia in 2019[13][14] and names an Honorary Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford in 2023.[15]
Publications
Books
- "Freedom of Religion under the European Convention on Human Rights" Oxford University Press (April 19, 2001)[16][17]
- "Legal Protection of Religious Freedom in Australia" (Federation Press, 2012).[18]
Co-author
- "Australian Bills of Rights: The Law of the Victorian Charter and the ACT Human Rights Act" (LexisNexis, 2008)
- "Open Minds: Academic Freedom and Freedom of Speech in Australia" (Black Inc., 2021).[19]
Personal life
Evans is married to Stephen Donaghue, a judge in the Court of Appeal in Victoria and previously the Australian Solicitor-General, and has two children.[20][21]