Peter Høj


Peter Bordier Høj is a Danish-Australian biochemist, who was Vice-Chancellor and President of The University of Queensland, Australia. In 2017 Professor Høj was chair of the Group of Eight – the peak lobby group representing Australia's research-intensive universities. Høj has been in controversy for his links to the Government of China, which Prof Høj has not been transparent about.

Early years and education

Peter Høj was born in 1957, to John and Bodil Høj in Copenhagen, Denmark.
He was educated at the University of Copenhagen, majoring in biochemistry and chemistry. He has a Master of Science degree in biochemistry and genetics, and a PhD in photosynthesis.
While working in the Carlsberg Laboratory he met and later married an Australian researcher, Dr Robyn van Heeswijck. They moved to Australia in 1987, and Høj is now a dual Australian/Danish citizen.

Career

Høj became Vice-Chancellor and President of The University of Queensland on 8 October 2012.
Previously, Høj’s senior full-time appointments included:
Høj is a member of the Medical Research Future Fund Advisory Board, a member of the STEM Males Champions of Change, and a member of the Leadership Council on Cultural Diversity. In 2015 he received the 2015 Outstanding Individual of the Year Award from the Council.
From 2011 to 2014 Hoj was a member of the CSIRO board.
He is a member of the Australian Medical Research Advisory Board.
Høj was awarded an Australian Government Centenary Medal for service to Australia through wine research and science.
He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in the United States. He is a Foreign Member of The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters.
In January 2019 Høj was made a Companion of the Order of Australia for "eminent service to higher education and to science, particularly to the commercialisation of research, and to policy development and reform."
In April 2019, the presented Professor Høj with its
Høj has three Honorary Doctorates, from the University of Copenhagen, the University of South Australiaand The University of Adelaide.
He was a Senior Consultant to Hanban in the Oceania Region, and a former member of SUSTech President’s International Advisory Council.

Drew Pavlou expulsion controversy

In 2019-2020, Høj became involved in a controversy over the threatened expulsion of the student Drew Pavlou. The University of Queensland, under Høj's leadership, alleged that Pavlou had been guilty of bullying and harassment. Pavlou alleged that this was instead retaliation for his criticism of the university's excessively close relations to the Chinese government.. Drew Pavlou launched legal action against Høj in June 2020, claiming $3.5m in damages.