Pip Pattison

Philippa Eleanor Pattison (born 11 April 1952) is a quantitative psychologist who retired in December 2021 as Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education at the University of Sydney. She is now an Emeritus Professor at both the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne.

Born in Perth, Western Australia, Pattison spent her childhood in Adelaide and Melbourne. She earned a BSc (Hons) from the University of Melbourne in 1973 and a PhD in Psychology in 1980. She married Ian Pattison in 1973.

Pattison began her academic career as a lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Melbourne in 1977 while completing her PhD. She was promoted to Professor in 2000 and held various leadership roles, including Head of the School of Behavioural Science and Deputy Vice President positions. She was instrumental in implementing the Melbourne Model, which restructured undergraduate and postgraduate programs, and oversaw initiatives like eLearning and MOOCs. In 2014, she joined the University of Sydney as Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education, leading teaching strategy.

Her research focuses on mathematical and statistical models for social networks, with applications in disease spread and community recovery, funded by grants in Australia and the U.S. Pattison has published extensively and supervised over 30 PhD students. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and the Royal Society of New South Wales. In 2015, she was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia for her contributions to higher education and social network modeling.