Appointments

Two pro vice-chancellors have been appointed at Keele University. Marilyn Andrews, head of the School for Health and Rehabilitation, has been named pro vice-chancellor for learning and student experience, and Kevin Mattinson, head of teacher education at Keele, will become pro vice-chancellor for community and partnerships.

The University of Oxford's new pro vice-chancellor for research will be Ian Walmsley. A professorial fellow of St Hugh's College, he will hold overall responsibility for co-ordinating the university's relationships with its major research funders. Having served on the research assessment exercise physics panel in 2008, Professor Walmsley has published widely in the fields of ultrafast and quantum optics.

A pro vice-chancellor of London South Bank University has been appointed the next vice-chancellor of the University of Cumbria. Peter McCaffery, who is also an international masters swimmer, has more than 25 years' teaching and research experience in American studies and history and has taught at a variety of institutions in Britain and the US. He succeeds Chris Carr.

Jane Hanson has been appointed vice-principal of Weston College. Part of her remit will be to develop higher education provision, as well as leading the equality and diversity agenda. She joins from North Devon College, where she was head of the department for skills, care and education.

University College Falmouth has rewarded two staff members with professorships. Alan Male, who is course leader for the BA (Hons) illustration course, has been promoted in recognition of his expertise in the field of illustration. Jason Whittaker has been promoted for his work on William Blake and his influence on contemporary writers, artists, film-makers and musicians.

The University of Bristol has appointed Guy Orpen pro vice-chancellor. A professor of structural chemistry and dean of science, his area of responsibility will be research and enterprise.

Jacqueline Tombs, a professor of criminology and social justice at Glasgow Caledonian University, has been appointed director of the university's new Institute for Society and Social Justice. While at the Scottish Office, she founded the criminological research unit, which introduced the British Crime Survey to Scotland and developed research programmes that have informed criminological practice around the world.

The University of Nottingham has given professorships to 14 members of its academic staff. They are: Colin Heywood, professor of modern French history; Richard Bell, professor of theology; Roland Deines, professor of New Testament studies; George Chen, professor of electrochemical technologies; John Crowe, professor of biomedical engineering; Victoria Chapman, professor of neuropharmacology; Miguel Camara, professor of molecular microbiology; Paul Crawford, professor of health humanities; Phil Garnsworthy, professor of dairy science; John Barrett, professor of mathematical physics; Cameron Alexander, professor of polymer therapeutics; Alfonso Aragon- Salamanca, professor of astronomy; Malcolm Swan, professor of mathematics education; Steven Fielding, professor of political history.

An academic from the University of Ottawa has been given an international accolade for his 2007 book in the field of political economy. Matthew Paterson was crowned winner of the International Political Economy Book Prize by the British International Studies Association for his book Automobile Politics, which looks at the domination of cars in modern capitalist society.

A doctor who has pioneered new methods of detecting complications in the early stages of pregnancy has been appointed to St George's, University of London. Baskaran Thilaganathan, who is developing new methods of diagnosing pre-eclampsia, a condition in pregnancy that can cause high blood pressure and lead to risks to both mother and baby, becomes professor of foetal medicine at the university. Professor Thilaganathan and his team have discovered that proteins associated with the condition may be present in maternal serum from as early as 11 weeks, which opens up the possibility for an early screening test for the condition.

Lyndon Simkin has transferred from the University of Warwick to Oxford Brookes University's Business School. He takes the position of professor of strategic marketing and will teach undergraduates and MBA and MSc students.

A lecturer from the University of Aberdeen has been honoured with the Estelle Brisard Memorial Prize for education research. David Johnston was awarded the prize for his research into the experiences of student teachers during their school placements. The award is a tribute to Estelle Brisard, a lecturer who worked at the University of Paisley (now part of the University of the West of Scotland) and contributed to educational research in Scotland. The prize is awarded to early career researchers based in Scotland.

The College of Teachers has elected Alma Harris its next president. A pro-director for leadership and professor of educational leadership at the Institute of Education, she specialises in the areas of leadership and school transformation, organisational development and educational policy and change.

Andrew Pettigrew has joined the University of Oxford's Said Business School as professor of strategy and organisation. Formerly the dean of the School of Management at the University of Bath, he has also held appointments at Yale University, Harvard Business School, London Business School and Warwick Business School.

At the University of Northampton, Kamal Bechkoum has become dean of the School of Applied Sciences. With more than 20 years' experience in the higher education sector, he has held a variety of positions at the University of Derby and the University of Wolverhampton. Also at Northampton, Stephen Keane has been appointed lecturer in film and television studies.

David Buckley has moved from the University of Manchester to become professor of medical physics at the University of Leeds. Professor Buckley's work covers a number of areas, including the measurement of tissue structure, human kidney function and the monitoring of treatment response in patients with cancer.