Professor John Webb

Biography

Professor John Webb OAM graduated with Honours in chemistry and the University Medal from Sydney University, proceeding to complete his PhD at the California Institute of Technology in 1972 and later a Diplome in Education at Murdoch University. After postdoctoral positions at the University of Alabama Medical School and the Australian National University, he was appointed at Murdoch University in Perth WA,  retiring as Professsor of Chemistry in 2005 to accept a diplomatic appointment as Counsellor (education and science) at the Australian High Commission in New Delhi, India with responsibilities that included Pakistan and Nepal. Established, as founding Chair, the New Delhi Diplomatic Club for science counsellors, with his counterpart from P.R. China as Deputy Chair. In 2008 he was appointed to Melbourne University as Deputy Director of the new Australia India Institute and Professorial Fellow in chemistry. In 2013 he became an Adjunct Professor, later Professor (part-time) at Swinburne, based in the Centre for Transformative Innovation. A Fulbright Fellow and long-time member of the Australian National Commission for UNESCO, he received in 1996 the Medal of the Order of Australia for his work in establishing research networks in Asia and his research in bioinorganic chemistry. From 2013-2016, he served on the board of the Australia Myanmar Institute as Vice-President. He is marrried to Dr Sandy Webb PSM. They have two daughters. His current research interests concern networks of international collaboration particularly those connecting Australia and Asia as well as the emerging discipine of science diplomacy.