Complex sentence: In 1989 he was appointed as a lecturer in the School of Physics at the University of New South Wales, and he progressed steadily through the academic ranks there, becoming the Head of School in 2005.
Split into simpler sentences: In 1989 he was appointed as a lecturer in the School of Physics at the University of New South Wales, which began a long association with that institution. He progressed steadily through the academic ranks there, becoming the Head of School in 2005.