John Rice

Professor John Rice is an Honorary Professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics within the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Australian Council of Deans of Science (ACDS), a role he has held since 2008. In this capacity, he established the ACDS annual teaching and learning conferences and the ACDS Teaching and Learning Centre, creating a national forum for teaching and learning leaders in university science and mathematics disciplines. These initiatives have significantly enhanced the ACDS's profile in teaching and learning policy development across Australian higher education. Rice previously served as the inaugural president of the ACDS from 1995 to 1998 and as president again from 2006 to 2008. Earlier in his career, he was Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Flinders University from 1993 to 2000.

Rice's research interests focus on differential and algebraic geometry, as well as algebra, number theory, and geometry. He has presented seminars at the University of Sydney, including on the Geometric Langlands Conjectures and the Hitchin Fibration as an entrée to Langlands duality. One of his key publications is 'Derived Categories via the Long Exact Sequence,' published in the 2023 MATRIX Annals (pages 175-213). Through his leadership roles, Rice has contributed to numerous science education projects, including work-integrated learning initiatives, quantitative skills development in undergraduate science, and curriculum advisory panels such as the ACARA Curriculum Advisory Panel for Science. His efforts have supported national networks and projects funded by the Office for Learning and Teaching, influencing science teaching practices and policy in Australian universities.

Professional Email: john.rice@sydney.edu.au