Appointments

Royal College of Art

Neville Brody

A designer hailed as one of the most influential of his generation has been named the new head of communication art and design at the Royal College of Art. Neville Brody is a graphic designer, brand strategist and type designer. He was art director for The Face magazine from 1981, he moved to Arena magazine in 1986 and redesigned The Times newspaper in 2006. Currently a visiting professor in the faculty of design at the London College of Communications, Professor Brody also created record covers for Cabaret Voltaire and Depeche Mode, and fonts including Arcadia, Industria and Insignia. The appointment is "a great honour and challenge", he said. "The Royal College of Art sits at the threshold of a new and vital moment in communications history, an extraordinary time and one that will deeply affect all of us," he said. "I am excited by the possibility of 'joining the dots' - of combining the RCA's deep sense of history, craft and experience with a dynamic, relevant and exploratory approach to art and design communications." Paul Thompson, rector of the RCA, said Professor Brody was a "superb" practitioner and "one of the most influential designers of his generation". He will take up the post on 1 January 2011, succeeding Dan Fern.

Association of Business Schools

Huw Morris

All areas of higher education face funding cuts following the financial crisis, but business schools have faced an added difficulty: claims that they bear some responsibility for it. In his new role as chairman of the Association of Business Schools, which represents almost 120 such schools in the UK, Huw Morris, dean of Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, promises to champion business education. He said business schools faced other challenges, such as competition from the private sector and the need for businesses to become "more sustainable and responsible". Professor Morris noted that ethics and social responsibility had been incorporated into teaching of the subject since at least 2007, when the issues were included in Subject Benchmark Statements for business. The Association of Business Schools is working with the Advanced Institute of Management, the British Academy of Management and the British Academy for Business, Management Accountancy and Finance to launch an ethics guide offering guidance for business academics and their students. Professor Morris, who is also pro vice-chancellor for enterprise at Manchester Met, said business schools had to demonstrate the financial, social and educational contribution they made to universities, local economies and the nation. "Business and management is probably the largest subject area in British universities. Hundreds of thousands of students are represented by the institutions that are members of ABS," he said.

University of Aberdeen

Mary Cotter

A professor at the University of Aberdeen has been honoured with the inaugural Otto Hunter Teaching Prize, which is awarded by the Physiological Society. Mary Cotter, director of teaching and learning in the College of Life Sciences and Medicine, received the honour in recognition of her contribution to teaching undergraduate physiology. Professor Cotter, who said she loved working with different groups, teaches students of science, medicine and physiology. Her work at Aberdeen included developing new courses, making lectures more interactive by introducing handsets for all students, encouraging flexible forms of assessment, and working to ensure that topics were put into context because "students learn best when they can see why they are doing something". "I probably like teaching first years best because I am a show-off - my grandmother was on the London stage and I think it is the actress in me coming out," she said. What was most rewarding, she added, was successfully teaching students a difficult subject. "Suddenly the penny drops and that's brilliant to see. I have fantastic colleagues and we are all committed to making the subject really fun, engaging the students, and making them feel part of a family."

UK Resource Centre for Women in SET

Helen Atkinson

Portraits of inspiring women working in science, engineering and technology (SET) have been unveiled. Celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, the Women of Outstanding Achievement exhibition is led by the UK Resource Centre for Women in SET. Those honoured this year include Helen Atkinson, professor of engineering and head of the mechanics of materials research group at the University of Leicester. Professor Atkinson, who was the first of her family to go to university, focuses on metals technology and manufacture. She said: "When I started my career 30 years ago, it was difficult to progress within SET - especially if you worked part time, as I decided to do while working at the University of Sheffield to enable me to start a family. My career path shows that you can achieve whatever you put your mind to. I have been lucky to have travelled the world and have been able to encourage women from different communities to develop their careers in SET, to think ambitiously and realise their true potential."

Other changes ...

The Academy of Social Sciences has conferred the award of Academician on 57 UK academics. They are: David Boucher, professor of political theory and international relations, Cardiff University; Heather Campbell, professor of town and regional planning, University of Sheffield; Anthony Champion, emeritus professor of population geography, Newcastle University; Richard Collins, professor of media studies, The Open University; Mike Coombes, professor of geographic information, Newcastle University; Sue Cox, professor of safety and risk management and dean, Lancaster University Management School; Rick Delbridge, professor of organisational analysis, Cardiff University; Ciaran Driver, professor of economics, Imperial College London; Nigel Driffield, professor of international business, Aston Business School; Jude England, head of social science collections and research, The British Library; Anoush Ehteshami, professor of international relations, Durham University; Andy Field, reader in experimental psychopathology, University of Sussex; Ray Forrest, professor of urban studies, University of Bristol; Arthur Francis, dean of the School of Management, University of Bradford; Adrian Furnham, professor of psychology, University College London; Abby Ghobadian, professor of organisational performance, Henley Business School; Stephen Gorard, professor of education research, University of Birmingham; Laurence Harris, professor of economics, School of Oriental and African Studies; John Henneberry, professor of property development studies, University of Sheffield; Janet Holland, professor of social research, London South Bank University; Susan Hunston, professor of English language, University of Birmingham; Bridget Hutter, professor of risk regulation, London School of Economics; Robert Jackson, professor of religions and education, University of Warwick; Oliver James, professor of politics, University of Exeter; David Kirk, professor of physical education and sport, University of Bedfordshire; Colin Knox, professor of comparative public policy, University of Ulster; Joyce Liddle, Professor of Public Management, Nottingham Trent University; Duncan Maclennan, professor of economic geography, University of St Andrews; Herbert Marsh, professor of education, University of Oxford; Gary McCulloch, professor of the history of education, Institute of Education, University of London; Jonathan Michie, professor of innovation and knowledge exchange, University of Oxford; Susan Michie, professor of health psychology, University College London; James Mitchell, professor of politics, University of Strathclyde; Robin Morris, professor of neuropsychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London; Anne Murcott, professor emerita in sociology, London South Bank University; Bren Neale, professor of life course and family research, University of Leeds; Peter Nolan, Sinyi professor of chinese management, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge; Audrey Osler, visiting professor of citizenship and human rights education, University of Leeds; Henry Overman, professor of geography and environment, London School of Economics; Anne Power, professor of social policy, London School of Economics; Ben Rampton, professor of applied and sociolinguistics, King’s College London; David Sanders, professor of government, University of Essex; Graham Scambler, professor of medical sociology, University College London; Mark Shucksmith, professor of planning, University of Newcastle; James Simmie, professor of innovation and urban competitiveness, Oxford Brookes University; Tim Strangleman, reader in sociology, University of Kent; John Street, professor of politics, University of East Anglia; Laixiang Sun, professor of Chinese business and management, School of African and Oriental Studies, University of London; Goran Therborn, professor emeritus in Sociology, University of Cambridge; Peter Tymms, professor of education, University of Durham; Paul Webley, professor of economic psychology, School of African and Oriental Studies, University of London; Mark Wickham-Jones, professor of political science, University of Bristol; and Lucy Yardley, professor of health psychology, University of Southampton.