New Dean heads UNSW Engineering

A new era for UNSW Engineering has begun as Professor Mark Hoffman heads Australia’s largest engineering faculty as the new Dean

In 1997, when Professor Mark Hoffman took up his first UNSW position as Lecturer in the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Professor Mark Wainwright was in charge of the Faculty of Engineering. Three Deans and 17 years later, Mark says the other Mark undoubtedly influenced his career direction. “He showed me that you can be a great academic leader and through service forge an important place in the broader community.”

Prior to his appointment, Mark was the University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) and also held positions of Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Science and Head of its School for Materials Science and Engineering for six years.

Mark’s research and academic career has taken him around the world – two years as a visiting scientist in the USA and Tokyo, time as a researcher in India and two stints on Fracture, a premier international body for scientists and engineers involved with the mechanics and mechanisms of fracture, fatigue and strength of materials.in Germany as a Research Associate, and then Humboldt Fellow. His international reputation led him to be appointed as Director to the Board of the International Congress Throughout his career, Mark has maintained high levels of research productivity. He is recognised as an international leader in the field of structural integrity of materials, with a particular focus on cyclic fatigue. Over the past eight years he’s focused on piezoelectric ceramics, and was recently awarded an Australian Research Council (ARC) grant to investigate lead-free alternatives.

Mark was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering in 2014 after becoming a Fellow of the Institute Engineers Australia in 2011. He also has an impressive list of awards that go back to when he was an undergraduate mechanical engineering student at The University of Sydney, where he was presented with the Phil Jones “all-round achievement” award and a Blue in Rowing.

What’s evident when you look at Mark’s academic profile is his passion for top-quality teaching. Mark has two Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Awards and also a Carrick Citation for outstanding contributions to student learning. He chaired the Educational Committee on the National Council of Materials Australia and has authored four teaching publications.

Outside of academia, Mark enjoys professional sports. Between 1999 and 2000 he was the President of the Sydney University Boat Club, which became Australia’s most successful university rowing club, boasting five Olympians during Mark’s presidency.

During his time at university, Mark has come to realise that people who excel at one thing know how to be exceptional in whatever they do. “As a leader at UNSW, I aim to be understanding and supportive of colleagues and students who want to excel at the highest level, be that community leadership, the arts, sport or another area, all while studying at the same time”.

Q&A with Mark Hoffman, UNSW Engineering’s new Dean

You have been associated with UNSW for 18 years. What attracted you to UNSW?

My first role with the University was in 1997 as a lecturer at the School of Materials Science and Engineering.

I was attracted to UNSW because of its international reputation as a leading Australian technical engineering university, combined with its close industry connections. In particular, at that time I was focused on materials engineering and UNSW had an international reputation in that field.

What’s your elevator pitch for your research expertise?

I design materials for specific applications and look at their structural integrity. That means I look at how they can be strengthened, and that can cover anything from metal foams for crash-resistance features on cars that protect pedestrians, to the enamel on teeth.

Much of the work has moved in environmental directions in the last couple of years, for instance plastics and components for irrigation pipes. The result is about 14,000 km of irrigation pipes in western Victoria.

Another area of research is piezoelectric ceramics. Piezoelectricity is the electric charge that accumulates in certain solid materials, such as some ceramics, in response to applied mechanical stress. Piezoelectric ceramics are used in everything from electronics to inkjet printers. They contain lead at the moment, and we need to look at developing alternative lead-free materials, something I recently received an ARC grant to look into.

Who has influenced your career direction?

My career direction has probably been most influenced by three UNSW people and my PhD supervisor, Professor Yiu-Ming Mai from The University of Sydney. Yiu-Ming Mai was an Australian Federation Fellow and showed me how important it was to do high-impact research and to be connected to Asia.

Mark Wainwright, former Vice-Chancellor and Dean of UNSW Engineering, is someone who basically showed me that you can be a great academic leader and have an important place in the community. 

Industry leader and UNSW alumnus Bob Every, who is currently the Chairman of Boral Limited and Director of Wesfarmers, showed me how important, as a leader, it is to strongly follow a clear, well-planned vision and also the significance of university education to Australian industry.

David Young recruited me to UNSW and showed me how important it is to be a solid academic and do good teaching and research, and as an academic leader to recruit well, give people a steering hand and the right environment, and then let them go.

What would you like to see achieved during your term of office?

I’d like to see UNSW Engineering universally recognised by peers and the profession as one within the top 20 universities in the world through high-quality, applied research, based on strong fundamentals. Furthermore, I’d like for that to influence teaching to produce first-class, innovative graduates with an international reputation who can communicate to the broader community. I very much believe UNSW academics should be recognised as high-impact researchers who use that knowledge to excite their students.

What can you say the challenges are for UNSW engineering?

UNSW’s Faculty of Engineering is the largest in Australia and one of the largest worldwide, with nine different Schools and the widest range of engineering degree specialisations in the country. Whilst this puts us in good standing, the challenge I foresee is ensuring this very large Faculty retains the flexibility, dynamism and rigorous quality at all levels to be amongst the world’s best.

You studied engineering as your first degree. Why did you choose mechanical engineering?

I liked creating new things that do something through technology! Technology always excited me but I wanted to be able to apply it, which is of course what engineering is all about. I chose mechanical because I’d always enjoyed building machines that did something.

Why do you believe studying engineering offers young people great career opportunities?

It’s fundamental. Every economy needs engineers to convert ideas into actions, such as better transport, health, environmental and economic sustainability or safety, for example. Engineering also teaches you to work analytically with a high degree of professional integrity.

What, in your view, are the most important attributes that a future engineer should have?

They should be innovative, creative and able to communicate what they’re doing to the broader community. They need to be technically strong and able to identify and solve problems.

Outside of your university life, what are your other passions?

My family! I have three children – aged five, 10 and 11. Seeing them grow is my number one passion. My eldest is showing an interest in scien

ce and engineering. He recently won the technology prize at his school.

I’ve also been closely involved with professional sports, particularly rowing, since I was in high school.

I go cycling quite a bit and jogging, and play the piano for relaxation. I also enjoy experiencing different cultures and approaches. I speak three languages – to varying degrees!