Glyn Davis

Glyn Conrad Davis (born 1959) is an Australian academic and public servant who has served as interim vice-chancellor of the University of Melbourne since February 2026. He previously served as the university's vice-chancellor from January 2005 to September 2018. Davis was the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet from June 2022 to June 2025. He was an academic at Griffith University in Queensland from 1985 until his appointment as vice-chancellor in 2002, a role he occupied until 2005. In 2018, he was appointed as a distinguished professor at the Australian National University's Crawford School of Public Policy.

Early life and education Glyn Conrad Davis

He was educated at Marist Brothers College, Kogarah.

Davis became third vice-chancellor (VC) and president of Griffith University in January 2002. As VC, he oversaw the establishment of the Griffith University School of Medicine and the acquisition of the former South Brisbane Library, an historic building on the South Bank which was refurbished to house Griffith Film School. He also replaced the university's coat of arms, as part of a major rebranding.

In January 2005 he was appointed vice-chancellor of the University of Melbourne, During his tenure there, he replaced 96 undergraduate degrees with six, increased the budget from $1.1 billion to $2.56 billion, and expanded the intake of international students.

Secretary of PMC In June 2022, Davis became the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. He was appointed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on 30 May 2022, and commenced on 6 June 2022. On 9 May 2025 he announced his resignation from the position, effective 16 June.

Other activities and roles Davis publishes on public policy. and continued to play an important role there, including chairing the research committee, until his 2022 appointment as PM&C Secretary.

In 2003 he commissioned The Griffith Review. and, in the same year, served as a member of the Innovation Taskforce, an expert group commissioned to review Australia's research and innovation systems.

, he was serving on the boards of the Grattan Institute and the Melbourne Theatre Company, and also hosted a podcast called The Policy Shop, with the aim of contributing to public debate about both Australian and global policy challenges.

he was patron of Australia 2021, a non-profit organisation focused on building research networks on issues impacting Australia's future. He was also president of the Group of Eight, which represents the major research universities in Australia. in the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford (2018-2027), He is also a visiting fellow at Exeter College, Oxford. and on 26 January 2002, Davis was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia, the highest Australian honour, for his "service to public administration, particularly as an advocate for good governance, constitutional reform and the creation of infrastructure to enable the development of a "knowledge-based" nation, to tertiary education in the field of political science, and to the community."

A photographic portrait of Glyn and his wife, Margaret Gardner, created by Australian photographer Jacqueline Mitelman in 2017, is held by the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra.

Personal life Davis married Margaret Gardner, the 30th Governor of Victoria and former Vice-Chancellor of Monash University and RMIT. When Davis was vice-chancellor of Melbourne University, he and his spouse were described by The Guardian as "Melbourne's top academic couple".

Publications Davis has written widely on policy and governance. Recent publications include: On Life's Lottery, Hachette, 2021. The Australian Idea of a University, Melbourne University Publishing, 2017. The Australian Policy Handbook (6th edition with Peter Bridgman and Catherine Althaus), Routledge, 2017. The Future of Australian Governance (co-editor with Michael Keating), St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin, 2000. Are You Being Served? State, Citizens and Governance (co-editor with Patrick Weller), Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin, 2001. The Republic of Learning: higher education transforms Australia, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Boyer Lectures), 2010. 'Universities in the Service of the Nation' in Melbourne University Law Review (2015) Volume 38(3) special issue in memory of Sir Zelman Cowen

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