Duncan John Maskell, (born 30 May 1961) is a British and Australian

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...

, academic, and

academic administrator Academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint responsibilities. Some ...

, who specialises in

molecular microbiology Molecular biology is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. Though cells and other microsco ...

and bacterial infectious diseases. He was

vice-chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...

of the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

, Australia from 2018 to 2025. He previously taught at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, England.

Early life and education

Maskell grew up in north London. He was educated at Queen Elizabeth's School for Boys, then a

comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...

in Barnet. He has discussed the important role music played in his upbringing. He performed at the 60th birthday of

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

as an 11 year old boy. He studied

Natural Sciences Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

(BA) degree. He undertook a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

(PhD) degree in Cambridge's Department of Pathology on Salmonella infections and graduated in 1986. His

doctoral thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

was titled "Mechanisms of resistance and immunity to salmonella infections" and was submitted in 1985.

Academic career

After doctoral work, Maskell worked as a research scientist for Wellcome Biotech from 1985 to 1988, then as a

research fellow A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a p ...

at the Institute of Molecular Medicine,

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

, from 1988 to 1992. In 1992, he joined

Imperial College, London Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...

as a

lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

in its Department of Biochemistry.

University of Cambridge

In 1996, he was appointed

Marks & Spencer Marks and Spencer plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks & Sparks or simply Marks) is a major British multinational retailer based in London, England, that specialises in selling clothing, beauty products, home produc ...

Professor of Farm Animal Health, Food Science and Food Safety at the

. He was elected a

fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

Wolfson College, Cambridge Wolfson College () is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The majority of students at the college are postgraduates. The college also admits "mature" undergraduates (aged 21 and above), with around ...

in 1998. He also served as Head of the Department of Veterinary Medicine from 2004 to 2013, and Head of the School of Biological Sciences from 2013 to 2015. He served as the

's Senior Pro-Vice Chancellor from 2015 to 2018.'MASKELL, Prof. Duncan John', ''

Who's Who 2017 ''Who's Who'' is a reference work. It has been published annually in the form of a hardback book since 1849, and has been published online since 1999. It has also been published on CD-ROM. It lists, and gives information on, people from around ...

'', A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2017; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2016; online edn, Nov 201
accessed 26 Oct 2017
/ref>

University of Melbourne

On 1 October 2018, Maskell replaced

Glyn Davis Glyn Conrad Davis is an Australian academic and public servant. He served as the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet from 6 June 2022 to 16 June 2025. From January 2005 until September 2018, he served as vice-chancello ...

at the

. In May 2022, he was reappointed for a second term. In 2022, his annual remuneration as vice-chancellor was $1,500,000-$1,514,999; this included a fringe benefit associated with a residence owned by the University to the value of $301,541. Following a series of campaigns and protests by the National Tertiary Education Union's Casual Network, including a protest outside the Vice Chancellor's 33 room residence, Maskell issued an apology regarding underpayment, saying there was “a systemic failure of respect from this institution" towards insecurely employed staff. The university eventually provided $45 million in back pay to former and current employees. Following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel and immigration, the university was affected due to its reliance on revenue from international students. He announced widespread staff redundancies reducing the university's headcount by 450 people in August 2020. In 2023
staff strikes
led by the NTEU protesting declining pay and job security for staff at the University of Melbourne specifically targeted Maskell at events such as the June 2023 University of Melbourne Council Meeting. FzHwqkyaAAEkPI7

On 29 April 2024, Maskell announced that he would conclude his term as Vice-Chancellor by March 2025.

Honours

In 2011, Maskell was elected a

Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) is an award for medical scientists who are judged by the UK Academy of Medical Sciences for the "excellence of their science, their contribution to medicine and society and the range of the ...

(FMedSci). He became an Australian citizen in 2023.personal communication

Selected works

* * * * * * Mastroeni, P. and D. Maskell (eds.). 2006. ''Salmonella infections: clinical, immunological, and molecular aspects''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maskell, Duncan John 1961 births Living people British biochemists Australian biochemists British molecular biologists English bacteriologists Fellows of Wolfson College, Cambridge Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom) Vice-chancellors of the University of Melbourne People educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School for Boys Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge