Appointments

Kingston University

Yannis Georgellis

An economist who specialises in the pursuit of happiness has been appointed director of the Centre for Research in Employment, Skills and Society at Kingston University. Yannis Georgellis was born in Greece and studied for his undergraduate degree at the University of Athens before going on to complete a master's at the Athens University of Economics and Business, then a doctorate at West Virginia University in the US. He worked at Brunel University for 14 years as a senior lecturer and, for his last year there, as head of the department of economics and finance. Professor Georgellis joins Kingston from Bournemouth University, where he was head of the department of human resource management and organisational behaviour. He said that his work in the field of labour economics had naturally brought him to the logical aspects of behaviour and then to happiness economics. "What is interesting and intriguing about happiness research in recent years is that it has challenged traditional economic doctrine and encouraged economists to embrace ideas from other social sciences," he said. His plan for Kingston, he added, was to build an "excellent" research team that would include an international network of visiting scholars.

University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Bronwyn Hayward

A political scientist who has won a grant to study the aspirations of young people in Norway has said that her work had taken on poignancy and importance in the wake of the recent massacre of young political activists in the country. Bronwyn Hayward, senior lecturer in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, will be working with academics at the University of Oslo on a study of young people's sense of responsibility and engagement. Dr Hayward has also been appointed a trustee of the UK thinktank the Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development, which aims to encourage governments, businesses and communities to consider the needs of future generations. "The outcomes of the work carried out by the foundation have many implications for New Zealand, and the foundation is also keen to learn about (our) experiences, including our responses to the Christchurch earthquakes," she said of her appointment. "It's humbling to come home to...Christchurch where so much environmental change is affecting children's lives. The decisions we make here will (affect) the prospects of many generations."

Michigan State University

Hannah Brenner

An expert in gender and the judiciary has been appointed co-director of the Frank J. Kelley Institute of Ethics and the Legal Profession at Michigan State University. Hannah Brenner has been a lecturer in law at Michigan State since 2009, and gained an undergraduate degree in women's studies from the University of Iowa before going on to complete a law degree there. She remained at Iowa and became director of rural services in the Rape Victim Advocacy Program. In 2002, she moved away from academia and took up a post as executive director of the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice. She returned to the academy in 2004 as director of the Women's Outreach Center at the University of Oklahoma. Then she joined the teaching staff as adjunct professor in the department of women's studies and political science and director of women's leadership programs at the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center. In 2008, she moved to the University of Texas at Austin as executive director of the Center for Women in Law. Professor Brenner said that there was still work to be done to ensure gender equality in the legal profession. "I am thrilled by the fact that one-third of US Supreme Court justices are women," she said. "However, I believe that much work remains to open positions of leadership and power...to women."

University of California, Berkeley

Elaine Tennant

Elaine Tennant is hoping that she can take an active role in discussions over the future of libraries as part of her new role at the University of California, Berkeley. Professor Tennant, who has been named James D. Hart director of Berkeley's Bancroft Library, said that increasing virtual access to rare and fragile manuscripts owned by the library had also boosted the number of people visiting in person. "People see things online and they immediately want to come and really see them," she said. Professor Tennant has been on the faculty at Berkeley since 1977, and specialises in medieval and early modern German literature and culture. She said that it was "a point of pride" that she did not let her students leave the university without learning something about the Bancroft collections. Professor Tennant said that she hoped to build new alliances with Berkeley's School of Information: "Sometimes the students and scholars who need to touch their books - or crocodile mummies - don't find much common library ground with those who need their information 'born digital'. There's a lot to talk about and I hope Bancroft will have a regular seat at the table."

OTHER CHANGES

Mark Adderley has been named director of human resources at Heriot-Watt University. He is currently executive director for people and organisational development at NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

The University of York has appointed Rebecca Tunstall as director of its Centre for Housing Policy. Dr Tunstall is currently based at the London School of Economics, where she has lectured on social policy.

The University of Kent has appointed Neophytos Loizides as lecturer in international conflict analysis. Dr Loizides was previously lecturer in international politics and ethnic conflict at Queen's University Belfast.

Irene Ng has been appointed professor of marketing and service systems at the University of Warwick. Professor Ng was previously director of the Centre for Service Research and professor of marketing science at the University of Exeter's business school.

Imperial College London has named Muir Sanderson as its chief financial officer. He joins from management consultancy Booz & Company.

Victoria Tunstall has joined the University of Leicester as curatorial and teaching support assistant in the geology department. She was assistant collections officer for regional geology at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent.

Linda Burke has been appointed dean of the School of Health and Social Care at the University of Greenwich. Dr Burke joins from the Nursing and Midwifery Council, where she was head of revalidation.

Morten Hviid has been appointed the new director of the Economic and Social Research Council Centre for Competition Policy at the University of East Anglia. Professor Hviid was previously professor of competition law at UEA Law School.