She commences in the role in January 2026
Professor Diana Bowman is set to become the first-ever dean of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology’s (RMIT) School of Law in January 2026.
She returns to Australia from the Arizona State University, where she served as the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law’s associate dean of applied research and partnerships. She was also the co-director for the Center for Smart Cities and Regions (CenSCR) and taught in the School of Technology for Public Health.
“Returning to Melbourne and joining RMIT is both a homecoming and an incredible opportunity. I’m excited to lead a School of Law that’s bold in its vision — one that fuses technology, innovation and purpose to empower our students to drive change and shape the future of the legal profession”, Bowman said.
She was named Honorary Consul for Australia in Arizona. Moreover, she is a PLuS Alliance Fellow and a senior sustainability scientist in the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability. She became an Andrew Carnegie Fellow in 2018 due to her research, which centres on the governance of emerging technologies and public health law.
RMIT College of Business and Law deputy vice chancellor Professor Colin Picker highlighted Bowman’s “visionary approach and extraordinary track record in leadership and research”.
“Harnessing the great teaching and research already present, I am sure that the School of Law will grow from strength to strength under Professor Bowman’s leadership, and set new standards in legal education and innovation”, Picker said.
Interim deans Professor Simon Pervan and Professor Lola Akin Ojelabi spearheaded the launch of RMIT’s School of Law this year.
