Professor Sir Edward Byrne AC is a neuroscientist and clinician who has worked across Australia and the UK throughout his career. He served as Principal of King’s College London from August 2014 until January 2021, where he significantly increased the range of degrees and programmes available to students, founded the King’s Business School, and grew its global links as well as partnerships within London. He was Dean of Monash’s Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences between 2003 and 2007, before going to the UK to be the Vice-Provost (Health) of University College London before returning to Australia as Vice-Chancellor of Monash University from 2009 to 2014.
Professor Byrne is currently Global Chief Medical Officer for Ramsay health care group, and serves on a number of company boards. He is the Chair of Orygen; the Chair of the Sir John Monash Leadership Academy; and a Governor of the Ian Potter Foundation. He holds advisory roles with Cintana (US), The Global Foundation, and SAHMRI, and serves on the board of Temasek subsidiary, AMTH (Singapore). Professor Byrne was previously a non-executive director of Cochlear Pty Ltd for almost 20 years, and also a director of private healthcare insurance provider, BUPA. He holds honorary and emeritus appointments as a professor with ANU, Monash University, King’s College London, and Peking University.
Professor Byrne qualified in medicine at the University of Tasmania in 1974 and subsequently trained as a neurologist in both Adelaide and London. He is a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the Royal Colleges of Physicians of London and Edinburgh, the American Academy and the American Association of Neurology. He holds the higher degrees of Doctor of Medicine (UTAS) and Doctor of Science (University of Melbourne). He has received honorary doctorates from the universities of Sydney, Adelaide, Monash, Warwick(UK) and Western (Canada). He is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology, Science and Engineering and an honorary fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. In 2019, he was also elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in the UK.
Recognised for his lifetime of significant achievements, and contributions to life-changing research, Professor Byrne received the AO (Officer of the Order of Australia) in 2006, the AC (Companion of the Order of Australia) in 2014 and was awarded a Knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2020. Professor Byrne has dual British and Australian nationality. He has wide interests in the arts and has written several books of poetry.
