I returned to the Crawford School of Public Policy in January 2023, taking on the role of Director after 10 years at the University of Melbourne, and an extended secondment at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government.

My research interests are in public management, especially reform and relationships. This covers topics such as the creation and evolution of public service markets, collaboration, joined-up government, public value, performance management systems, and the intersection of morality and public management practice. I enjoy working in research collaborations with colleagues who see the world differently to me and some of those have received academic awards including best article in Public Administration Review and Review of Public Personnel Administration; best book at Academy of Management; and several best paper awards at the Academy of Management.

I am an Associate Editor at Public Management Review, and previously I was an editor at Australian Journal of Public Administration. I am an editorial board member for academic journals in the field including: Public Administration Review; Public Administration; Public Management Review; International Journal of Public Administration; Policy Design and Practice;  Journal of Public Affairs Education;  Global Public Policy and Governance;  Halduskultuur: The Estonian Journal of Administrative Culture and Digital Governance, and  Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration.

My teaching focuses on management issues in the public sector and challenges faced by contemporary leaders. I have worked extensively with professionals from across the world and have been recognised for teaching excellence through various awards. As a keen observer of international practice in public management, I have had the opportunity to provide expert advice to a range of policymakers across the world. I have been a member of the Advisory Board for the Australian Public Service Commission Centre for Leadership and Learning (2018-2020) and a member of the Infrastructure Victoria Expert Panel on the Role of Infrastructure in Addressing Regional Disadvantage (2019-2020). In 2022, I was appointed to the Advisory Board of the Victorian Public Sector Commission, and the Institute for Public Administration Australian Council (Australian Capital Territory).

In 2021 I was elected to the board of the Public Management Research Association Board, and I previously served as an elected member of the executive board of the International Research Society for Public Management (2012-2018). In 2022, I was elected a fellow of the (US) National Academy of Public Administration. Since 2013 I have been a fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia (Victoria).

Together my various activities across research, education, service and engagement seek to better understand how government works and to contribute to improving the outcomes of those activities.

For full details of my publications, service, and appointments you can see my CV here.