* The University of Wales, Bangor, has appointed Chris Freeman , former Royal Society research fellow, professor of biogeochemistry, specialising in peat bog science.
* The European Space Agency has named René Oosterlinck , lecturer in space law at the University of Ghent in Belgium, director of external relations. He was previously head of the ESA's legal affairs department before being appointed head of the navigation department, where he was in charge of the Galileo programme.
* Tony McEnery , professor of English language and linguistics at Lancaster University, has been appointed director of research at the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
* Pam McIntyre of Queen's University, Belfast, has been appointed chairwoman of the Association of University Language Centres in the UK and Ireland.
* The Council for the Central Laboratory of Research Councils has elected three new members: Keith Burnett , professor and chairman of the department of physics at Oxford University, a fellow and tutor at St John's College; Rear Admiral Philip Greenish , chief executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering; and David Saxon , dean of the faculty of physical sciences at Glasgow University.
* Brunel University has recruited the following to join its music staff: Sarah Nicholls , winner of the British Contemporary Piano Competition in 2000; Joe Duddell , former lecturer in composition at Exeter University and composition fellow at the Royal Academy of Music; and Harald Muenz , a specialist in electronic music composition formerly at the University of Cologne.