Professor Janet Greeley has announced she will retire on April 2, after six-and-a-half years as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Human Sciences.

Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton said he was greatly saddened to lose a colleague and academic leader of Professor Greeley’s standing, but acknowledged the very positive legacy she has left for the future.

Born in Canada, Professor Greeley earned Master’s and PhD qualifications in psychology from the University of Toronto before moving to Australia in 1987 to take up a lectureship at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales, where she taught for five-and-a-half years.

With expertise in the psychology of addictive behaviour, especially the role of learning in drug tolerance and dependence, Professor Greeley progressed her teaching and research career at James Cook University in North Queensland before moving into senior administration roles including Head of Department, Faculty Dean, and Pro Vice-Chancellor.

She has been a member of the Strategy and Policy Advisory Committee of the Australian Medical Council since 2009, served on the Australian Learning and Teaching Council’s Steering Committee on Leadership in Education between 2008 and 2011, and was a Ministerial appointment by the Minister for Health and Ageing to the National Health and Medical Research Council from 2003 to 2005.

Professor Dowton said that at the appropriate time announcements would be made in relation to interim leadership of the Faculty of Human Sciences, and the commencement of an international search for a new Executive Dean.