Professor Iain Martin
Areas of Interest
Education, Health CareHonorary Award
Honorary Doctor of Health SciencesCitation
Vice Chancellor, it is my pleasure to read the citation for Professor Iain Martin for the award of Honorary Doctor of Health Sciences.Professor Martin is Vice Chancellor of Deakin University in Australia, and former Vice Chancellor of our Anglia Ruskin University.
Born in South Wales, Iain spent much of his childhood in Hampshire. He studied Medicine at the University of Leeds, and remained in the city to complete his postgraduate studies in surgery. He was appointed Lecturer in Surgery at Leeds University, and later, Consultant Surgeon at Leeds General Infirmary.
His clinical focus was primarily on gastrointestinal cancer and minimally invasive surgical techniques. Yet during his time in Leeds, Iain also developed a broader interest in the field of Higher Education, which was to shape the second part of his career.
In 2000, Iain seized the opportunity to gain valuable international experience, accepting the role of Professor of Surgery at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
And over the next decade, he went on to hold a variety of roles at Auckland University, as Head of Surgery, Head of the School of Medicine, Dean of the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, and as Deputy Vice Chancellor with responsibility for external and international engagement.
In 2012, Professor Martin was appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. And over the next three and a half years he transformed the university’s approach to teaching and learning, with heightened emphasis on the innovative use of digital resources.
In 2016, after an exhaustive international recruitment exercise to identify a candidate who could lead our university into a new phase of growth, Professor Martin was appointed Vice Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University.
And so, armed with his extensive experience, a talent for innovation, and a desire to create a transformative educational experience for our students, he set to building his vision of a leading learning and innovation ecosystem.
During his time at ARU, Professor Martin helped to build and nurture vibrant university communities, strengthening our operations, and ultimately, helping to create a university that has become greater than the sum of its parts.
Under his leadership, ARU made huge progress in providing excellent education and pastoral support for our students, whilst continuing to enhance the impact of our research. He championed our values of innovation, and promoted stronger links with our local and regional communities. And crucially, he played a major role in delivering Essex’s first School of Medicine.
In the summer of 2018, Iain left ARU to take up a fresh challenge as Vice Chancellor of Deakin University in Australia.
Professor Martin, once an accomplished physician and surgeon, is now a visionary academic leader with long-standing links to our university. He will be an inspirational role model for our students.
We are delighted to welcome back Professor Iain Martin to our Anglia Ruskin community.