Professor Rix was born in Sydney in 1949 and educated in Sydney and at the Australian National University in Canberra.

He has worked at Australian National University in Canberra, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Griffith University, and became Professor of Japanese studies at the University of Queensland in 1985. He has published and consulted widely in his professional academic field.

He was appointed Pro Vice Chancellor (External Affairs) in 1994, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts in 1997, and PVC Ipswich in 2004 (a position renamed Pro Vice Chancellor in 2009). He is responsible for overall management and development of the University of Queensland Ipswich and Gatton campuses and their community relationships, and is also in charge of employee relations for the university’s academic staff.

Professor Rix is involved in a number of boards and committees in the education sector. He is chair of the board of the Edmund Rice Flexible Learning Centres Network, and a member of the board of UQ College Ltd.