Who got that job?

Tracy Cruickshank, 30 lecturer in drama and performance, School of English and Performance Studies, De Montfort University. Job advertised in The Times Higher , June 25, 2004

Tracy Cruickshank could barely have hoped for a better start to her academic career. Less than a year after completing her PhD, she has landed a full-time position - without even having to move house.

When she went to her interview at De Montfort, Dr Cruickshank realised that her research interests dovetailed with those of the department.

"But I would also have the opportunity to branch out to strengthen their research areas," she added. "I could see myself here. And I think they wanted me for the same reasons."

They also told her that she would be involved in introducing a new undergraduate degree programme in drama studies, an opportunity that she has enjoyed.

Dr Cruickshank is a specialist in the use of language in performance and this is the focus of her research.

For her PhD at Nottingham University, she wrote a piece of drama and directed it in a studio. She studied the way the relationship between the director and the performer used both verbal and non-verbal language.

She particularly enjoys the teaching aspects of the job. "The students are great this year," she said. "We do a lot of team teaching and it's a very close team."

But one thing isn't going as well as she had hoped, particularly over the past few weeks. "The radiator in my office isn't working," she lamented.

Caroline Davis