Appointments

UCFB College of Football Business

Richard Flash

A former professional footballer has taken up the post of lecturer in football business and marketing at the UCFB College of Football Business.

Richard Flash, who had spells as a player at Manchester United and Watford before retiring because of injury, said his professional experience would inspire his teaching. "Although my career ended I never look at it as a negative. I was fortunate enough to have lasted six or seven years in the game and now I can pass on that experience." UCFB was launched in July and offers undergraduate degrees in business management, with a particular focus on football, in partnership with Bucks New University. Mr Flash said: "Everybody who knows me says that this is the perfect chance in education for me with my previous experiences. I'm grasping it with both hands." On his retirement from football, Mr Flash moved into education, embarking on a sports management degree. "Education is rarely the primary concern of aspiring footballers and so after my playing days were over I wanted to throw myself into it straight away," he said. Prior to joining UCFB, Mr Flash worked as a manager for Goals Soccer Centres before teaching at colleges in Bolton and Manchester.

University of California, San Francisco

Elizabeth Blackburn

A Nobel prizewinning biologist has joined the Beach Boys, astronaut Buzz Aldrin and basketball superstar Magic Johnson as an inductee into the California Hall of Fame. Elizabeth Blackburn, Morris Herzstein professor of biology and physiology at the University of California, San Francisco, said her career had been the manifestation of a lifelong fascination with animals and nature that began in her native Australia. She studied biochemistry at the University of Melbourne, staying on to complete a master's, before moving to the University of Cambridge to study for her doctorate. This was followed by a period at Yale University as a postdoctoral fellow. It was at her next institution, the University of California, Berkeley, that she was to do the research in molecular biology that went on to win her the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. She became a professor at Berkeley in 1986 and made the move to UCSF in 1990. She said that she was honoured by her recognition by the State of California: "This is quite a group of fellow Californians. I greatly appreciate being recognised in the company of such creative, dynamic people. They exemplify the wonderful and varied talent of our state. It is a place like no other. When in California, there is a sense of the possible."

Bucks New University

Alex Webb

Academia will be "all that jazz" for a new senior lecturer in music management and live events management at Bucks New University. Alex Webb, a musician and former journalist, has played with some of the cream of UK jazz talent, including Gary Crosby, Denys Baptiste and Guy Barker, and has performed at well-known London venues including Ronnie Scott's and the Vortex Jazz Club. Mr Webb joins Bucks New from the Barbican Centre, where he was trusts and foundations manager. He said of his new role: "I haven't taught full-time before but I've led many seminars on press and PR work, and spoken at music industry conferences. The rhythm of work is very different and the pressure of lectures and seminars is considerable but it's also great fun." Speaking about his passion for jazz music, Mr Webb said that one of his proudest achievements was curating Jazz at Cafe Society, a show that aimed to evoke the famous New York music venue in the 1940s, which was performed in the Southbank Centre's Purcell Room as part of the 2011 London Jazz Festival in November. "Jazz is a major interest of mine and performing has been a major part of my life, as was putting the show together at the Purcell Room," he said. "It was a labour of love but I played to sell-out audiences and was delighted it was so well received."

University of Sydney

Ian Hickie

An expert in mental health has been appointed as one of the commissioners who will lead Australia's first National Mental Health Commission. Ian Hickie, executive director of the Brain and Mind Research Institute at the University of Sydney, said that it was a great privilege to be asked to participate: "The commission has the potential to change the way mental health and related social services are delivered in this country. The government has made it clear how important good mental health is to the social, health and economic fabric of this country." Before joining Sydney in 2003, Professor Hickie was professor of community psychiatry at the University of New South Wales. In 2000, he was appointed as the inaugural chief executive officer of beyondblue, the national depression initiative, a role he fulfilled until 2003 (he remained its clinical adviser between 2003 and 2006). Professor Hickie is a fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists and the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. He is also one of the National Health and Medical Research Council's 2008 Australian Fellows.

OTHER CHANGES

The University Alliance has elected Steve West, vice-chancellor of the University of the West of England, its new chair.

Anglia Ruskin University has named James Hampton-Till director of research of the Postgraduate Medical Institute on its Chelmsford campus. Dr Hampton-Till is also associate director of research and development at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Christopher McCrudden joins Queen's University Belfast as professor of human rights and equality law. He was formerly professor of human rights law at the University of Oxford.

Nick Wheeler has been named the inaugural director of the new Centre for Global Co-operation and Security at the University of Birmingham. He is currently a professor in the department of international politics at Aberystwyth University.

Neil Chakraborti, senior lecturer in criminology, University of Leicester, is to join the board of trustees of the Howard League for Penal Reform.

Kiran Trehan has been appointed professor of leadership and enterprise development at Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham. She was previously director of management and consulting and deputy head of the department of management, learning and leadership at Lancaster University.

Patty Kostkova, head of City eHealth Research Centre at City University London, has been promoted to reader.

Michael Hambrey is to receive a second clasp to his Polar Medal from the Queen for his research on glaciers in Antarctica. Professor Hambrey, a member of the Centre for Glaciology at the Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, was given the medal in 1989 for polar research.