He has written or edited a dozen books and over 100 articles, chapters and reviews,[1] and this scholarship saw him elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities in 1992.
Since 1997 he has edited the series "Studies in Musical Genesis, Structure and Interpretation" for Oxford University Press.
In 2007 he moved to the United Kingdom to become vice-chancellor and president of City University, London.
[1] He was described as "well-liked and respected, popular with staff and highly regarded in universities for his thoughtful and imaginative approach", but resigned in the summer of 2009, apparently following disagreements with the governing body.
In April 2012 a survey of staff instituted by the University and College Union (with a turnout of 338) returned a 91 per cent vote of no confidence in his management.