New Dean Appointed to Monash’s Faculty of Art, Design, and Architecture

Monash University has announced the appointment of Professor Mel Dodd to the position of Dean, Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture following a competitive global search.

Professor Dodd has been associated with the University since 2018, when she began collaborating with Monash as an adjunct professor from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London.

In 2021, Professor Dodd was appointed as a Monash professor and Head of the Department of Architecture. While in the latter role, Professor Dodd led the Department in elevating architecture research capabilities, building relationships and engagement to partner with industry and government on major architectural projects, and bolstering the University’s reputation as a leader in architecture education and research in Australia and around the world. Under Professor Dodd’s leadership, enrolments for the Bachelor of Architecture grew by 13 per cent and the Department’s research income increased by more than 200 per cent.

Professor Dodd was appointed Interim Dean, Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture in September 2023. In this role, she worked with the Wominjeka Djeembana Indigenous Research Lab and the Department of Fine Art to launch the ‘Indigenous Creative Practice and Ways of Knowing’ core unit, the first faculty-wide, Indigenous-led core unit for all first-year undergraduates.

Professor Dodd has a distinguished global reputation in the field of architecture, underscored by her unwavering commitment to positive social change through creativity. Professor Dodd’s accomplished career as a professional architect is evident in her contributions to inclusive urban environments through constructed urban landscapes and public realm strategies. In her capacity as Director of the Monash Urban Lab, she co-curated a major exhibition, Ground Melbourne, at the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2023.

Educated at University of Cambridge and with a PhD by Practice from RMIT University (2011), she has led architecture programs at a range of institutions since 1999, including London Metropolitan University, RMIT University and Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London.

Professor Dodd is an experienced leader with a compelling vision for a bold, ambitious and creative future for the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture. The University is pleased to retain her remarkable talents and look forward to her further success in leading the Faculty over the coming years.

We congratulate Professor Dodd on her appointment and wish her the best in continuing her Monash career.