Van Ikin is a Professor and Senior Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Humanities at The University of Western Australia, where he held a staff appointment from 1980 to 2014 before retiring from teaching. He earned his BA and PhD from the University of Sydney, beginning his academic career as a part-time tutor there from 1974 to 1979 and as an assistant lecturer from 1979 to 1980. At UWA, Ikin taught Australian literature and creative writing, earning the UWA/Guild Excellence in Teaching Award for Postgraduate Research Supervision in 2000. He supervised doctoral and postgraduate degrees for notable writers including Terry Dowling, Stephen Dedman, and Dave Luckett.

Ikin's research focuses on Australian literature, particularly Australian science fiction, as well as science fiction, fantasy, and creative writing. He reviewed science fiction and fantasy for the Sydney Morning Herald from 1983 to 2010 and has judged literary awards in the field. Since 1977, he has edited and published the journal Science Fiction: A Review of Speculative Literature, with key selections reprinted in co-edited volumes such as Warriors of the Tao (2011), Xeno Fiction (2013), Fantastika at the Edge of Reality (2014), and Other Spacetimes: Interviews with Speculative Fiction Writers (2015), all with Damien Broderick. Other major publications include Strange Constellations: A History of Australian Science Fiction (1999, with Russell Blackford and Sean McMullen), the anthology Australian Science Fiction (1981), and Mortal Fire: Best Australian SF (1993, with Terry Dowling). His contributions to the field have been recognized with the inaugural A. Bertram Chandler Award for Achievement in Science Fiction and Fantasy (1992), William Atheling Jr Awards for Criticism (1988 and 2000), the Australian Science Fiction Achievement Award (1988), and the Peter McNamara Award for Lifetime Achievement in Science Fiction (2018).

Professional Email: van.ikin@uwa.edu.au