Professor Steven Larkin is a Kungarakany and Yanyula man from Darwin in the Northern Territory, Australia.

Professor Larkin is Pro Vice Chancellor (PVC) for Indigenous Education and Research at the University of Newcastle.

Professor Larkin was previously Pro Vice-Chancellor for Indigenous Leadership at Charles Darwin University from 2009. Professor Larkin’s appointment at this level was historic as he became the first ever Aboriginal person to be appointed to a senior executive position within an Australian university. He was also Director of the Australian Centre for Indigenous Knowledges and Education (ACIKE) at Charles Darwin University.

Professor Larkin’s qualifications include a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Queensland University of Technology; Master of Social Science, Charles Sturt University; and Bachelor of Social Work degree, University of Queensland.

Professor Larkin’s collaborations are both nationally and internationally and he has served on numerous national advisory committees in Indigenous Affairs. He has been appointed as member of the New Colombo Plan Reference Group by the Foreign Minister; has chaired the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Advisory Council or ATSIHEAC (then Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council) for three years (2009-2012); and was a member of the Panel for the Behrendt Review on Indigenous higher education in Australia.

Professor Larkin is the current chairperson of The Healing Foundation; and on the Board of Directors for Beyond Blue.

Professor Larkin continues to provide invaluable input as a management level member of several well-respected professional affiliations, which include:

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Consortium (NATSIHEC)
National Indigenous Research and Knowledges Network (NIRAKN)
The Healing Foundation
Beyond Blue