Professor Ngiare Brown BMed, MPHTM, FRACGP
Chancellor of James Cook University
Professor Ngiare Brown is the first female and first Indigenous Chancellor of James Cook University (JCU). She was elected as the sixth Chancellor of the University in January 2023, commencing in April 2023. She is also the second member of the University’s alumni to take up the role. A proud Yuin nation woman from the south coast of New South Wales, Professor Brown is a senior Aboriginal medical practitioner with qualifications in medicine, public health and primary care, and has studied bioethics, medical law and human rights.
Professor Brown was one of the first Aboriginal medical graduates in Australia, completing her medical degree at the University of Newcastle in 1991. She graduated with a Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine from JCU in 2000 and was named an Outstanding Alumna in 2012. She is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.
Throughout her career, Professor Brown has held a variety of positions in education, mentoring, clinical practice, research and advocacy. She is a founding member and foundation Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association, and a founding member of the Pacific Region Indigenous Doctors’ Congress. She was also the Indigenous Health Adviser to the Australian Medical Association, Manager of Preventative Indigenous Health Programs for World Vision Australia, Assistant Director at Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin, and Senior Research Manager for the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, and an inaugural member and co-chair of the Prime Minister’s Indigenous Advisory Council. She is currently Chair of the National Mental Health Commission’s Advisory Council and Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Committee for the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.
An inaugural member of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner's Close the Gap Campaign, Professor Brown has made extensive contributions to research process, bioethics, policy, translation and practice within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. She has also developed an extensive international network in Indigenous health and research over the past two decades.
In addition to her academic and advocacy work, Professor Brown is the Founding Director of Ngaoara, a not-for-profit committed to child and adolescent wellbeing. She currently works as a clinician and consultant to develop and deliver sustainable, integrated primary and specialist care for children with complex co-morbidities. Through Ngaoara, she supports communities to develop strength-based approaches to breaking intergenerational cycles of trauma and disparity.
University Profile
One of the world’s leading institutions focusing on the tropics, James Cook University is surrounded by the spectacular ecosystems of the rain forests of the Wet tropics, the dry savannas, and the iconic Great Barrier Reef. Its unique location enables students from Australia and overseas to study in a diverse physical environment unparalleled by any university in the world. JCU is ranked in the top 2 percent of the world’s tertiary institutions by the respected Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the Academic Ranking of World Universities produced by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
JCU is a leader in research addressing the critical challenges facing the tropics, world-wide. A defining feature of JCU is its tropical location and its research excellence in disciplines of particular relevance to the tropics. JCU conducts nationally significant and internationally recognised research in areas such as marine sciences, biodiversity, tropical ecology and environments, global warming, tourism, and tropical medicine and public health care in under-served populations. JCU’s aim is to position itself as a national and international leader in teaching and research addressing critical challenges facing the tropics world-wide. As a comprehensive university in the tropics, JCU is well placed to foster cross-disciplinary collaborations to meet these challenges.
Born of the traditional model of excellence in teaching and research, James Cook University has become a modern and dynamic university of truly global standing. JCU graduates hold top-level positions around Australia and the world, and our research has earned us a world class reputation. Since its establishment in 1970, JCU has expanded into a multi-campus institution with its main campuses in the tropical cities of Cairns, Singapore and Townsville, with smaller study centres in Atherton, Mackay, Malanda, Mount Isa, Rockhampton and Thursday Island. There is also a Russo Higher Education operated campus in Brisbane and JCU Online.
JCU’s students come from many backgrounds, promoting a rich cultural and experiential diversity on campus. JCU’s undergraduate and postgraduate courses span the Arts, Biomedical Sciences, Business, Creative Media, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Healthcare Sciences, Information Technology, Law, Medicine, Nursing and Midwifery, Pharmacy, Planning, Psychological Science, Science, Social Work, Sustainability and Veterinary Science. JCU aims to give graduates the qualifications and skills they need for the global workforce.
As set out in its Corporate Strategy, James Cook University is dedicated to creating a brighter future for life in the tropics and beyond through education and research that makes a difference locally and globally.
With the values of Authenticity, Integrity, Excellence and Research what matter to us is Our People. Our Place, Our Education and Our Research.
JCU is a comprehensive University. Its teaching and research focuses on four themes:
Tropical Ecosystems and Conservation and Climate Change
Industries and Economies in the Tropics
Peoples and Societies in the Tropics
Tropical Health, Medicine and Biosecurity.
An international University as reflected in its people, places, and research, JCU takes quiet pride in being recognised as a leading tertiary institution in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region and among the universities of the world. The University consistently delivers outstanding student outcomes with high employability for our graduates.
To find out more, visit the James Cook University website www.jcu.edu.au
Townsville campus photographer: Andrew Rankin.
Governance
James Cook University Council
Consistent with the James Cook University Act 1997 (QLD) and its function as the prime instrument of University governance, the Council of James Cook University has primary responsibility for:
appointing the vice chancellor as the chief executive officer of the University, and monitoring his/her performance;
approving the mission and strategic direction of the University, as well as the annual budget and business plan;
overseeing and reviewing the management of the University and its performance;
establishing policy and procedural principles, consistent with legal requirements and community expectations;
approving and monitoring systems of control and accountability, including general overview of any Controlled Entities (as defined in 50AA of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth));
overseeing and monitoring the assessment and management of risk across the University, including commercial undertakings;
overseeing and monitoring the academic activities of the University;
approving significant commercial activities of the University.
Membership of James Cook University’s Council is as follows:
Ex-Officio Members
Professor Ngiare Brown – Chancellor (to 23 April 2028)
Professor Simon Briggs – Vice Chancellor
Professor Stephen Naylor – Chair of the Academic Board (to 18 August 2024)
Appointed Members – Governor-in-Council
Mr Donnella Mills (to 19 April 2026)
Ms Marjorie Pagani (to 19 April 2026)
Councillor Angela Toppin AM (to 19 April 2024)
Additional Members
Ms Jayne Arlett - Deputy Chancellor (to 19 April 2026)
Mr Michael Delaney (to 19 April 2026)
Ms Carolyn Eagle (to 19 April 2024)
His Honour Judge Gregory Lynham (to 19 April 2026)
Dr Nicholas Tate (to 19 April 2026)
Vacancy
Elected Members
Associate Professor Alana Grech – Academic Staff (to 19 April 2026)
Associate Professor Anthony Leicht – Academic Staff (to 19 April 2026)
Dr Jonathan Strauss – Professional and Technical Staff (to 19 April 2026)
Ms Ruby Christopher – Student (to 19 April 2024)
Other Governing Bodies
Other Governing bodies within the University include:
Academic Board
Chair – Professor Stephen Naylor
Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee
Chair – Ms Marjorie Pagani
Awards and Ceremonies Committee
Chair – Councillor Angela Toppin AM
Chancellor’s Committee
Chair – Professor Ngiare Brown - Chancellor
Estate Committee
Chair – His Honour Judge Gregory Lynham
Finance Committee
Chair – Ms Jayne Arlett - Deputy Chancellor
Human Resources Committee
Chair – Ms Donnella Mills
Work Health and Safety Committee
Chair – Dr Nicholas Tate
Sub-Committees Include:
Curriculum Committee
Chair - Professor Marcus Lane, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academy
Education Committee
Chair – Professor Maree Dinan-Thompson, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Education
Research Committee
Chair – Professor Jenny Seddon, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research