Denise Ferris has been Head of the School of Art & Design since 2013, where she has lectured in photography since 1987. Ferris is a photographer who uses UV processes and inkjet technologies, exploring the photograph as a non-documentary a-historical archive. For her doctorate, awarded in 2007, Ferris used a unique light-sensitive milk emulsion, a mixture of casein and dichromates, to make photographs visualising maternal ambivalence and duality. She has published scholarly work on representations of the maternal, along with numerous conference presentations and catalogue essays.Ferris has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Australia and Asia. Her works in major public collections in Australia, including the Australian War Memorial, National Gallery and National Library, as well as overseas institutions. Her current interests have turned towards landscape and the elements, in photographs exploring transitory phenomena such as weather, locality and historical memory.As Head of the School, Ferris has a strong interest in tertiary education policy and administration, having served as an Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Social Sciences, as well as on arts sector boards.

Professor Ferris is also the Chair of the Australian Council of University Art & Design Schools (ACUADS), the peak body representing over thirty Australian universities in visual arts, craft and design. The Council undertakes leadership, advocacy, policy development, research and community service for the sector.