Meet Professor Alan Davison, the new Dean for the UTS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
In April of this year, UTS FASS welcomed the appointment of our new Dean, Professor Alan Davison, who was previously the FASS Deputy Dean.
Before coming to UTS, Alan was Head of School of Arts at the University of New England, with extensive teaching and research experience as a music academic at UNE, the University of Otago and the University of Melbourne.
Alan’s bio says:
“Alan is one of the leading international scholars in the field of cultural history of the long nineteenth century, focusing on the intersection of music and visual culture, portraits of musicians and the reception and representation of the famous Hungarian composer-pianist Franz Liszt.
He has published extensively in this area and has been the recipient of invitations to present at prestigious institutions including Yale University, Kings College London and the Royal College of Music (London). He is a member of the steering committee of the Australian Music and Art Research Group hosted at the University of Tasmania.
Alan holds a Bachelor of Music (Hons) and PhD from the University of Melbourne and a Licentiate Diploma in Performance (Pianoforte) from Trinity College London. His early education includes work in the sciences, putting him in a unique position to conceptualise and realise the intersection between HASS and STEM disciplines that features in our UTS 2027 strategy, and forms an important opportunity for the future of the Faculty.”
Impressive. But who is this ‘Professor Alan Davison’ person really? Or ‘Alan’ as he prefers to be called.
In order to get a fuller picture of our new Dean, we subjected him to some hard questions.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A palaeontologist. I even managed to study fossils and mammalian skeletal morphology at the Victorian Museum when I was a teenager and wrote my first two scholarly papers on marsupial mice.
After that, I wanted to be a concert pianist and so I studied piano performance at the Melbourne Con. (Melbourne Conservatorium of Music).
What was the first album you ever bought?
First CD was the pianist Vladimir Horwitz playing music of the great Russian composer Alexander Scriabin.
Seriously? Did you ever listen to anything besides classical music?
In the early 2000s I was teaching in Otago, and half my students were studying rock music and we were immersed in Nirvana and Radiohead and others. Genius. Particularly OK Computer.
I’ve also been accused of privately humming along to ABBA. I will neither confirm nor deny this.
Tell us about a ‘memorable’ experience you had when you were a student?
I had a lecturer who played the lute and wore leather pants much to the appreciation of many of the students, and was a terrible lecturer – pedagogically-speaking.
But he was so enthusiastic and could really bring to life music and culture of the past, and left a lasting impression, and appreciation for early European music especially.
What’s your vision for the Faculty? Give us your elevator pitch!
Building on our great foundations to become the best Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences in a university of technology. Working closely with key partners within the university, and also develop further our great external engagement and collaboration across teaching, research and community engagement.
So, what’s your perfect Saturday night?
Watching an episode of VEEP after eating home-made gnocchi pesto.
Anything else on your mind at the moment?
I’m also thinking about what my style should be. Previous FASS Deans had great style. I thought about an eyebrow piercing but I don’t want to just be copying Alan McKee (Professor Alan McKee, Associate Dean of Research). My daughter wants me to consider a neck tattoo. So a bit to ponder there.
Yes indeedy.
Welcome to the helm Alan!
