Professor Mick Dodson from The Australian National University has been appointed the next Chair of Australian Studies at Harvard University.

The Director of the National Centre for Indigenous Studies at ANU will take up the temporary posting at the US university next year, sharing the honour with Dr Chris McAuliffe from the University of Melbourne.

The Australian studies chair at Harvard was established in 1976 as a visiting professorship to promote awareness and understanding of Australia in the US.

Professor Dodson, who is a prominent researcher and advocate on Indigenous rights and issues in an international context, will be appointed to the Indigenous Development program at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

"This is a great honour for me, and a great opportunity to showcase some of the research being done here at the National Centre for Indigenous Studies at ANU, as well as elsewhere in Australia," Professor Dodson said.

"It will also be a good opportunity to find out more about some of the work being done in the US that I can bring back to Australia. Indigenous peoples from around the world have much to gain from sharing knowledge about their individual efforts to win full rights and recognition."

For more information on the Chair of Australian Studies at Harvard University: http://harvaus.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do

Media assistance: Simon Couper, ANU media office 02 6125 4171, 0416 249 241