Appointments

University of Lincoln

Jacqui Briggs

A politics expert from the University of Lincoln has been chosen to take on a senior role at the Political Studies Association. Jacqui Briggs, principal lecturer in politics at Lincoln, has been appointed vice-chair of the association and said that she was "thrilled by the opportunity". "It runs for three years and in that time I hope to spearhead a campaign to promote political studies," she declared. Dr Briggs said that one of the perks of her new role was the opportunity to meet political scientists and politicians from around the UK. She had recently met Alex Salmond, the First Minister of Scotland, the former Labour leader Lord Kinnock and Shami Chakrabarti, director of the influential lobby group Liberty. "Name-dropping aside, the chance to continue my love of politics is what drives me in the role," she said. Dr Briggs studied for a year as an undergraduate at the University of Aberdeen, before moving to the University of Leeds to complete her degree in political studies. She then attained a postgraduate certificate in education at the University of Huddersfield and completed a doctorate in politics at the University of York. Although an expert and media pundit on elections at local, national and European levels, Dr Briggs said she had also spoken on other subjects, including feminist theory and female exploitation: "Well, topless car-washing services in Skegness to be precise."

Lords Communications Committee

Steven Barnett

The House of Lords Select Committee on Communications will continue to have scholarly input after the reappointment of Steven Barnett as its specialist adviser. Professor Barnett, professor of communications at the University of Westminster, said he was "delighted to be involved once more in the parliamentary process". He will be advising the committee as it continues its inquiry into the future of investigative journalism. "This is a difficult time for journalism, but both the phone hacking scandal and the revelations around MPs' expenses have demonstrated how important it is that investigative journalism survives and thrives," he said. Professor Barnett studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge for an undergraduate degree in social and political science, and went on to complete a master's at the London School of Economics. He worked for the Consumers' Association as senior researcher, as a research Fellow and assistant director at the Broadcasting Research Unit and then founded and directed the Henley Centre's Media Futures research programme before joining Westminster in 1994. Between 2000 and 2004, Professor Barnett was a columnist for The Observer newspaper.

McGill University

David Eidelman

A graduate of McGill University in Montreal has been appointed dean of medicine and vice-principal (health affairs) at his alma mater. David Eidelman, who is currently the chair of the department of medicine at McGill, said it was "humbling" to have been offered the role. "I am very excited to be tackling this challenging position as we make a major transition to new hospital facilities," Dr Eidelman said. "The teaching of medicine and the development of new forms of patient care are changing rapidly." After completing his undergraduate medical training at McGill, Dr Eidelman moved to the University of Toronto to train in internal medicine. He returned to McGill to undertake advanced training in respiratory medicine and went on to research training at the Royal Victoria Hospital and at the Meakins-Christie Laboratories. Dr Eidelman then joined the faculty at McGill, where he has remained ever since. He said that he was keen to emphasise teamwork in his new role. "No one does it alone and I am looking forward to building partnerships within and outside of the university," he said.

University of New South Wales

Alan Dupont

Alan Dupont is in the privileged position of having experienced his subject of security studies as both a scholar and a practitioner. Professor Dupont, currently Michael Hintze chair of international security and director of the Centre for International Security Studies at the University of Sydney, has been named the inaugural director of the Institute for International Security and Development at the University of New South Wales. Before joining academia, he spent a quarter of a century working in government in the departments of defence, and foreign affairs and trade. His previous roles include senior Fellow for international security at the Lowy Institute for International Policy, senior Fellow at the Australian National University's Strategic and Defence Studies Centre and acting chief executive of the University of Sydney's United States Studies Centre. Professor Dupont said he felt that the new centre had an important role to play: "In today's interdependent world, it is more important than ever to understand the links between conflict and under-development." He added: "Universities have a crucial responsibility to contribute solutions to the many security and development challenges we confront."

OTHER CHANGES

Dame Janet Finch, former vice-chancellor of Keele University, has been appointed chair of the Birth Cohort Study Governing Board, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Medical Research Council.

Anglia Ruskin University has appointed three members to its board of governors: Sarah Wright, principal of SEEVIC College; Asaf Pirali, founder and president of the School of Accounting and Management in Trinidad; and Jerome Booth, co-founder, head of research and a member of the investment committee at Ashmore Investment Management.

Will Nicolson, clinical research Fellow at the Leicester Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit, University of Leicester, has won a Young Investigator Prize at the annual Heart Rhythm Congress.

The Medway School of Pharmacy, jointly run by the universities of Greenwich and Kent, has appointed Yuri Ushkaryov, previously professor of molecular neurobiology at Imperial College London, as professor of biological sciences, and Janet Krska, currently professor of pharmacy practice at Liverpool John Moores University, as professor of clinical and professional practice.

Three research board chairs have been appointed by the Medical Research Council. The positions will run from 1 April 2012 to the end of March 2014. Hugh Perry is to chair the Neurosciences and Mental Health Board. He is professor of experimental neuropathology at the University of Southampton. The Molecular and Cellular Medicine Board will be chaired by Stephen Hill, professor of molecular pharmacology at the University of Nottingham. And David Lomas is to chair the Population and Systems Medicine Board. He is a professor of respiratory biology at the University of Cambridge.