Professor Charles Oxnard of UWA's Department of Anatomy and Human Biology is one of the giants in his field; a world-respected scholar the University of Western Australia was clearly lucky to be able to hire.
Originally from England, Professor Oxnard has been elected Fellow of many prestigious Academies, served as president of several scientific societies on three continents, and has been Professor at the University of Chicago and Southern California before being successfully recruited to bring his great talents here to Western Australia.
He has had wide-ranging administrative experience and held positions as Head of Department and Dean on numerous occasions, having held final responsibilities in terms of tenure and promotions.
Hence, no questions may exist that Professor Oxnard has had both the academic and administrative abilties and experience properly to evaluate and judge the situation with which he was confronted.
Professor Parfitt has a long and illustrious career as a scholar and university administrator. Before entering academia he had senior management and research career in the pharmaceutical industry. He then became the Professor of Medical Chemistry and Dean of Science, University of Bath, in the UK.
When he was recruited to Australia in 1984, he left England recognised as one of th leading pharamcutical scientists in Europe. In Australia he became Principle of Canberra College of Advanced Eucation, now the University of Canberra. He moved to the University of Western Australia in 1987, taking up an appointment as Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research.
While in WA, besides his academic duties, he served as Commissioner for both the Post Secondary Education and Secondary Education Commissions, and was Director and Chairman of a number of companies and organisations.
Professor Parfitt retired from UWA at the end of 1991 and returned to UK where he was asked to found the first New University College in the UK for 25 years -- University College, Stockton.
In the UK he has been a member of many government committees associated with the saftey of medicine and medical standards and reserach. In Australia he was Counsel Member at the ANU, and was active on many committees. He has also served the governement and reviewed national Drug Regulation for then Minster of Health, Neil Bluett.
During his long career at UWA he has been assigned to the Department of Anatomy and Human Biology, serving it as both acting head and head, and is the Deputy Director of the Centre for human biology. Hh has had extensive university service, having been a member of important committes such as those deciding upon promotions and scholarships, the Social Work and Social Administration Committee, and served as a represenatative of review committes on the WA Consortium of Social Sciences, and the School of Veterinary Science, Murdoch University.
He is a member of numerous scientific societies, a member of steering committee, the foundation secretary, and currently vice president of the Australasian Society for Human Biology