The Profile
How to Design a University
Professor Jessica Gallagher sits down with QSIM to discuss her life and education, and how it helped her in her role as Adelaide University’s DVC for International and External Engagement.
By Chloë Lane
"[Studying abroad] certainly shaped my view around the importance of education."
"I always thought I’d end up living and working in Germany."
"When you really pare it all back, our agendas and our ambitions are the same."
It wasn’t until she worked as an au pair in Germany that Adelaide University’s new Deputy Vice Chancellor for International and External Engagement, Professor Jessica Gallagher, discovered her spark for education.
“I didn’t think university was for me,” she admits. “Of course, my family find that hilarious now,” she adds with a smile.
Born in Queensland, Australia but growing up in both Vancouver, Canada alongside her four siblings, Professor Gallagher is well seasoned to adapting to a change in location. As a child she attended five primary schools and two high schools. When she finally moved back to Queensland in her teens, the University of Queensland seemed like a good fit. But the reality was a major culture shock.
“I just wasn't sure it was the right fit for me,” she says. “It was then that I decided to go and work and study overseas.”
Her father was a high school principal, so Professor Gallagher and her siblings grew up with an interest and curiosity around learning.
She is a self-confessed “history buff”, fascinated with the history of World War II, the division of Germany, the fall of the Berlin wall and the challenges that then ensued. Germany, then, held a special appeal for Professor Gallagher at that time. She’d studied the language and was keen to improve her language skills.
“I thought I would just go and work for six months and then go backpacking,” she admits. But as she went over to Germany to do just that, she realised how much she loved the country and made the bold decision to enrol in a study abroad programme, not a typical move at the time.
The Importance of Education
Professor Gallagher enrolled as a continuing student at Justus Liebig University Giessen: just 40 minutes from Frankfurt. There were many international students, and she built global connections, gaining a stronger understanding of German language, culture and European history. “I absolutely loved it,” she says. “I always thought I’d end up living and working in Germany.”
But she made her way back to Australia to finish her final year, spending all her semester breaks travelling back and forth from Germany. Afterwards, she was offered the opportunity to study in Freiburg on a German Academic exchange programme. Then, years later when completing her PhD, she was a visiting research scholar at the Free University of Berlin.
“It completely changed my life,” she states. “It has an amazing diversity of people and perspectives and such a rich history. I think it was a big part of why I’m in the role I’m in now. [Studying abroad] certainly shaped my view around the importance of education.”
A Merging of Cultures
It's this merging of cultures that Professor Gallagher particularly enjoys, and an environment she thrives in, and is a trait she brings to her role of Deputy Vice Chancellor for International and External Engagement at Adelaide University, which officially opens its doors in January 2026.
A merger of the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia, Adelaide University will mix the old with the new; the former is 151 years old, while the latter is just 33.
“There is so much complexity around every decision because of the interdependencies and the expectations of stakeholders, and knowing that there's a responsibility to get this right,” she says. “It’s incredibly inspiring, I’ve learnt so much.”
Both universities have very clear strengths and legacies, and now they’re coming together to create something new. If you look at other mergers, Professor Gallagher explains, you’ll see that they often put an umbrella over the top, but the entities remain. “Whereas this really is the merger of two equals. When people see what we’ve done they’ll see a genuine commitment to co-creation.”
Three thousand academics were brought together alongside hundreds of industry partners to ensure the programmes Adelaide University are offering are fit for purpose. In a sometimes slow-changing industry, it’s not something universities usually get the opportunity to do, Professor Gallagher notes.
It’s not lost on the rest of the industry either. “We've had so many visits from global institutions that are really interested in the change process,” she says. “I think we’ve generated some interesting learning points on how to develop and deliver a project of this nature that could be informative for other groups that decide to go down this path.”
Shaping the future
“Being the eyes and ears of the organisation” is how Professor Gallagher describes her new role. She sees engagement as a core part, strengthening connections with industry, government, global partners, alumni, and partnering with the community where it matters.
Professor Gallagher’s role is extremely broad, and she’ll draw on her extensive experience as Pro Vice Chancellor at the University of Queensland and Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Adelaide.
She hopes to gain a greater understanding of market trends, social pressures, sector needs and opportunities and then work with colleagues to address these, whether that’s through research or building programmes and initiatives.
“We have ambitions to be Australia’s most connected university,” Professor Gallagher reveals. “Those connections to tell those stories and to create those partnering opportunities because they really, really matter, and they enable us to really extend our impact.”
Whether that’s building new partnerships in Vietnam, or working with small and medium enterprises, connectedness presents opportunities for faculty and students as well as the wider community.
What Would Success Look Like?
Change is tough. With it comes a sense of nervousness, something the leadership team is taking the time to address and support faculty with.
The two institutions, the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia, were both collaborators and competitors, defining themselves by being what the other one wasn’t. “I think I underestimated the sense of cultural differences between the two organisations,” admits Professor Gallagher. “The systems and people components of this project have been some of the toughest parts.”
With these differences, though, comes an incredible pool of talent, which the new university will benefit from.
“When you unpack it, we’re really not that different,” she says. “When you really pare it all back, our agendas and our ambitions are the same. We just have a different way of articulating that.”
The leadership team at Adelaide University is crafting a vision based around a set of core values. “The work we’ve been doing with the programmes is to bring this vision to life,” remarks Professor Gallagher.
Another aspect she wants to address in her role is developing the general understanding about the role higher education plays in really supporting strong economies and prosperous societies.
The university aims to target this head on, making sure the research that it puts out benefits at a local level and a global level, and educating the future teachers, lawyers, engineers, doctors and dentists at a high level.
But it’s not enough to leave it at the research. Adelaide University wants to ensure that student experience reaches this same level, whatever stage in their career the student is at.
Looking 30 years into the future, Professor Gallagher hopes that Adelaide University is deeply connected across all key sectors and regions, and that it’s a trusted organisation that is deeply connected to the communities around it. “I hope we will have an incredible alumni cohort that are doing fantastic things around the world and are really a change makers and innovators and leaders across geographies and sectors.”
The teaching and learning environment will likely look different too. Professor Gallagher hopes the teaching style will continue to evolve and Adelaide University will invest in new technologies ensure the curriculum is drawing on technological opportunities and AI.
What about 150 years? “I hope that the school continues to be a hub for global scholars and talented staff, so that we can pose questions and seek answers to get to the big challenges of the time,” says Professor Gallagher. “Let’s hope, right?”