Appointments

Jane Madeley will be the new finance director at the University of Leeds after Berenice Smith steps down from the role. Currently chief financial officer and IT director of Redcats UK, Ms Madeley has held a number of senior roles within the retail sector at organisations including Asda Wal-Mart, Campbell's and Woolworths.

Max Farrar, the head of community partnerships and volunteering at Leeds Metropolitan University, has been appointed professor for community engagement. An adviser to several boards and organisations on the issue of race, Professor Farrar has previously lectured in sociology and written research papers on the subject. He is also co-author of Teaching Race in the Social Sciences.

Caroline Kennedy-Pipe has taken up her post as professor of war studies at the University of Hull. Previously based at the universities of Warwick, Sheffield and Durham, she is current president of the British International Studies Association, the academic body that promotes the study of international relations and its related subjects. Professor Kennedy-Pipe is the author of books including Stalin's Cold War (1995), Russia and the World Since 1917 (1998), The Origins of the Present Troubles in Northern Ireland (1997) and The Origins of the Cold War (2007).

The European director of the University of Huddersfield's Business School has been presented with an accolade from a Polish university. John Anchor was awarded the Celebration Medal from the University of Rzeszow for his contribution to the development of its faculty of economics. The medal was presented to Dr Anchor by the dean of the faculty of economics Sylwester Markasi, in recognition of the quality of Dr Anchor's assistance and his dedication to furthering international co-operation. The latest honour follows a string of previous awards, including three from the University of Huddersfield's Czech partners in Brno, Liberec and Ostrava. "The development of these partnerships has put the university in pole position in the long-term competitive race in this part of the world," said Dr Anchor.

The University of Hull's Gary Craig has been selected to join a race equality advisory group for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Professor Craig is the current head of the Centre for Social Inclusion and Social Justice and associate director at the Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation. Having previously worked in local government and the voluntary sector, he was elected to the board of the International Association of Community Development in 1995 and was elected president in 1999.

IBM's former chief technology officer has been appointed executive dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Aston University. Robert Berry, who has spent more than 20 years at the computing organisation and is a member of the IBM Academy of Technology, takes over the role from Ashok Kochhar. Professor Berry said: "Maintaining active connections with the academic world has been a personal interest and professional requirement for many years. I have developed a passion for education, for high-quality research, and for community engagement."

David Wright, of the University of East Anglia's School of Pharmacy, has been awarded what the university describes as pharmacy's equivalent of an Oscar - a Pharma. Dr Wright was presented with the 2008 Outstanding Contribution to Pharmacy Education Award after he helped design the pharmacy practice undergraduate programme, and brought together a new team of academics and teacher-practitioners at the University of East Anglia's new School of Pharmacy. The judges said: "David Wright has designed a pharmacy practice undergraduate programme that is truly innovative. The graduates from these programmes will make a real difference to patient care. His work is highly regarded by both colleagues and students, as evidenced by winning the Chancellor's Award twice."

The Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance has appointed Jonathan Clark programme leader for its first joint research degree programme, in collaboration with City University London. Dr Clark joins from Brunel University where he was director of studios and head of postgraduate taught programmes. A composer with a strong interest in interdisciplinary collaboration, he has worked at the International Centre for Music Studies at Newcastle University, and at the Purcell School of Music. He has produced publications on the subjects of mathematical music theory and computer music, and has also pursued a range of collaborations with contemporary choreographers.

The University of Wolverhampton has appointed a new pro vice-chancellor for regional investment and development. Ian Oakes will be responsible for the integration and management of the university's partnerships with a wide variety of external stakeholders, as well as future strategic regional developments. Professor Oakes has held a number of senior management posts within the former faculty of Engineering and Computer Technology at Birmingham City University and more recently in the newly formed Technology Innovation Centre at Millennium Point. Having published widely in the field of innovation and technology transfer in the small firm manufacturing sector, he has been involved in an extensive programme of technology transfer activities, both national and transnational, and has also led the development of a number of initiatives focusing on the transfer of technology from academia to large and small firms.

Cathy Macaslan, vice-principal for learning and teaching at the University of Aberdeen, has joined the Scottish Government as an education policy adviser. Ms Macaslan's secondment as adviser to the director-general for education and lifelong learning runs for a year. She already holds government appointments to the General Teaching Council for Scotland and to the Literacy Commission.

Adam Tickell has been selected as the new vice-principal (research, enterprise and communications) at Royal Holloway, University of London. Professor Tickell joined Royal Holloway in January 2007 as dean of the faculty of history and social sciences. He was previously professor of geography and research director for the faculty of social sciences and law at the University of Bristol. Professor Tickell is currently the vice-chair of the Economic and Social Research Council's Research Grants Board and a member of its International Advisory Committee.