Welcome Professor Nicholson!
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Matthew Nicholson to the position of Interim Pro Vice-Chancellor and Interim Chief Executive Officer, Monash University Malaysia, commencing 30 July 2022.
Professor Nicholson joined Monash University Malaysia as Vice-President (Research and Development) in April 2021. During this time, he has successfully led the portfolio, creating a vision for development and improvement in several areas, including supervisor training and development, industry engagement, the governance and management of research infrastructure, intra and intercampus networks, the PhD student experience, research commercialisation and partnerships.
Professor Nicholson is also spearheading a significant new initiative in our pursuit of research excellence — the Global Excellence and Mobility Scholarship (GEMS) program. GEMS will be investing RM8 million to fund 45 scholarships in the next three years. The program aims to bring the best and brightest PhD students to Monash University Malaysia, where they can work with top-class research teams on some of the world's core challenges.
Before joining Monash, Professor Nicholson held numerous appointments at La Trobe University, including Acting Dean (2020-2021) and Associate Head (Research and Strategy), La Trobe Business School, and Director of the Centre for Sport and Social Impact (2016-2021).
Professor Nicholson has been an exemplary leader across research, teaching and administration throughout his career, including receiving significant teaching awards at both La Trobe and Victoria universities for his work in online learning and the development of lecture-free curricula. He recently led the development of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on diplomacy for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Professor Nicholson has more than 110 publications – books, book chapters and journal articles – and has secured more than $10 million in research funding through numerous industry-funded programs and projects, including through the Australian Research Council and National Health and Medical Research Council. He has an international reputation for his research and expertise in the sport-public health nexus, physical activity, policy, social capital, the social impact of sport, recreation and leisure, and the media representation of sport.
Outside of work, Professor Nicholson, as a relatively recent resident of Malaysia, has been exploring the sights and sounds of Kuala Lumpur and enjoying its wonderful food in particular.