June 10, 2019

Distinguished Professor, Honorary Doctorate Recipients and University Fellow in Queen’s Birthday Honours

Vice-Chancellor congratulates all recipients

Distinguished Professor Shi Xue Dou AM, Honorary Doctor of Letters recipient and prominent media figure, Ita Buttrose AC OBE, Honorary Doctor of Laws recipient and leading legal practitioner, Nicholas Cowdery AM QC and University Fellow, artist and educator, Victor Chapman AM PSM, were among eminent Australians recognised in the 2019 Queens Birthday Honours List.

Distinguished Professor Shi Xue Dou AM: service to science education and research

Distinguished Professor Shi Xue Dou AM was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for “significant service to science education in the field of superconducting and electronic materials.”

Professor Dou became Professor and Founding Director of the Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials at UOW in 1994, and under his leadership this institute has grown to more than 100 researchers and is firmly established as an internationally recognised research strength for the University.

The institute’s ground-breaking research programs include superconductivity, energy storage, thin film technologies, spintronics and electronic materials, terahertz science, and an emerging program on nanomaterials for health and solar energy conversion.

A Distinguished Professor since 2014, Professor Dou was previously a member of the Australian Research Council’s College of Experts (2012-2014). He co-founded the BaoSteel Joint Research Centre in Australia in 2012, received the Vice-Chancellor’s Excellent Senior Researcher Award in 2008, the Vice-Chancellor’s Outstanding Partnership Award in 2012 and has received several other engineering and materials science and technology honours and awards.

Ita Buttrose AC OBE: A lifetime of service and leadership

Ita Buttrose AC OBE, who received her Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) from the University of Wollongong in 2015, was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for “eminent service to the community through leadership in the media, the arts, and the health sector, and as a role model.”

Ms Buttrose was previously appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1988.

Her leadership and service has included as Chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, National Ambassador and previously President of Dementia Australia, as well as supporting the Macular Disease Foundation, Breast Cancer Network Australia, Australian Mental Health Prize, AIDS Trust of Australia, Shepherd Centre for Deaf Children and the Pacific Friends of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Dr Buttrose has also held leadership roles with the Adelaide Arts Festival, National Gallery of Australia and the National Opera Festival.

Much of this service was also recognised by UOW when conferring her Honorary Doctorate, with particular reference to “shining a spotlight on our most vulnerable citizens.”

Nicholas Cowdery AO, QC: distinguished service to the law

Honorary Doctor of Laws recipient, Nicholas Cowdery AM, QC, was appointed an Officer of the Order (AO) for “distinguished service to the law, to the protection of human rights, to professional legal bodies, and to the community.”

Mr Cowdery was previously appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2003.

Mr Cowdery was NSW Director of Public Prosecutions from 1994 until 2011 and was Founding Co-Chair of the Human Rights Institute as well as holding several other leadership roles within the legal profession.

When his Honorary Doctor of Laws was conferred in 2011, Mr Cowdery was recognised for his commitment to human rights and justice, as well as for his significant contribution to the University through the Centre for Transnational Crime Prevention, guest lectures in postgraduate courses and as an Honorary Professorial Fellow in the Faculty of Law.

Mr Victor Chapman AM PSM: service to Indigenous education

UOW Fellow Mr Victor Chapman AM PSM was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for “significant service to the Indigenous community, to tertiary education, and to the visual arts.”

A Fellow of the University of Wollongong since 2011 and currently a Resident Elder as part of UOW’s Elders Program, Uncle Vic Chapman played a key role in establishing the Aboriginal Education Centre—now the Woolyungah Indigenous Centre—which provides vital programs and facilities to encourage and support Indigenous students.

Mr Chapman was the first Indigenous school principal in NSW, taught in NSW public schools for 38 years, and has supported a range of community service and arts organisations. He received the Public Service Medal in 1991 and the Centenary Medal in 2001. 

Dr Peter Tyree: service to engineering and education

Former Engineering and Information Sciences (EIS) Faculty committee member, Dr Peter Tyree was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for “significant service to engineering, and to education”.

Dr Tyree served as a member of the EIS Faculty’s External Course Appraisal, Innovation, University Research, Planned Giving and Visiting Committees and as Chair of the Research and Development Committee.

“On behalf of UOW I congratulate all recipients of honours and awards in the 2019 Queens Birthday Honours,” UOW Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Wellings CBE said.

“The University is very proud to be associated with many of these outstanding Australians, whether as leading researchers and faculty members, honorary doctorate recipients, fellows, guest lecturers, alumni, or as long-standing friends of the Institution.

“Their exceptional service to education and research, to their respective professions and to the wider community, as recognised by these Queens Birthday Honours today, is appreciated and applauded by the University of Wollongong.”