Professor Shaun Collin will soon officially step down as Dean of La Trobe University’s School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment (SABE) after more than six years, leaving a legacy of growth, resilience and research excellence.
Looking back, he says guiding the School through a major growth period was one of his proudest achievements.
“During this time, I ensured a smooth transition from a smallish school to the largest school in the University, bringing together a large number of staff across multiple Departments and disciplines housed in eight buildings. This resulted in a strong collaborative culture of teaching and research excellence.”
Under his leadership, SABE also cemented its reputation as a research leader, now home to two University research institutes, the La Trobe Institute of Sustainable Agriculture and Food and the La Trobe Institute of Molecular Sciences, many active Research Centres and a range of high performing research groups.
“The School has been referred to as a research powerhouse within the university, and I am very proud of that. We really do lead a lot of research funding outcomes, with strong industry and government engagement, with the aim of translating fundamental discoveries into real world outcomes.”
Leading a research powerhouse also brought plenty of challenges, especially during the pandemic.
“We got through COVID, and we enabled our researchers to continue their critical research programs, some of which had been running for years and really could not have been stopped.”
“Due to our talented and committed senior staff and their ability to develop new and agile systems to gain access to the University during the pandemic, we managed to keep critical research going, and we’re still seeing the benefits years later.”
For Professor Collin, however, the true highlight of his time as Dean has been the people.
“I will cherish the time I had leading the School, but it was really their ability to step up and be part of the vision that made my job a lot easier.”
His advice to future leaders? Be open to new opportunities.
“Many people don’t realise they could become great leaders, because they lack either the knowledge or the confidence. My advice is to be open to opportunities, even small ones, and to start getting involved. That’s how leaders are made.”
“Be open to training and self improvement, take on new opportunities when they arise, and be willing to step back and let others shine. If you can do that, you’ll be on your way to becoming an effective leader.”
After stepping down as Dean, Professor Collin will continue as Co-Director of AgriBio, a world-class facility for agricultural biosciences research and development. He will also continue to lead the Neuroecology Group, internationally recognised for its work on the impacts of environmental disturbances on the sensory systems and behaviour of aquatic animals.
