Appointments

Leeds College of Music

Charlie Siem

A rising classical music star has added an academic post at an English institution to his accolades. Virtuoso violinist Charlie Siem has been named visiting professor at Leeds College of Music. "I am flattered to have been asked," he said, "and eagerly await my visits to such a forward-thinking institution." Mr Siem said he hoped his experience in public performance would help him to offer insights on the psychology of professional musicianship. "I am still very young and have only had a short career...but I feel there are many psychological elements to performing that perhaps are not dealt with enough in traditional studies," he said. "I can draw from my experience to help students aim to deliver their very best on stage. I think this is the greatest challenge. There are many people who feel they sound like (legendary Lithuanian-born violinist) Jascha Heifetz in their practice rooms, but few that can translate it to the live stage consistently." Mr Siem studied music at the University of Cambridge, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal College of Music. "Classical culture is becoming an awkward fit with today's overbearing popular culture, especially among young people," he said. "Education is crucial to maintaining its relevance."

Queen's University Belfast

Rhiannon Turner

An academic named to a chair in social psychology at Queen's University Belfast said she was "really excited" about the challenge. Rhiannon Turner, currently senior lecturer in social psychology at the University of Leeds, will take up her new post in September. "I'm fairly young to get this position - some people see that as a disadvantage because I'm relatively early in my career - but I've got a lot of energy and enthusiasm. I will be bringing something to the position that perhaps someone further along in their career, who's already established, might not have," she suggested. Dr Turner said she was determined to bring in research funding to examine pressing issues such as the reconciliation process in Northern Ireland. "One of my first aims is to start developing research grant ideas and bringing money into the department ... I want to hit the ground running so I can start building a dynamic research group that investigates these types of issues in Northern Ireland." Dr Turner studied psychology as an undergraduate at Cardiff University, took an MSc at the University of Kent and obtained her PhD at the University of Oxford. She then accepted an Economic and Social Research Council postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Birmingham, moving in 2007 to Leeds.

University of Bath

Andrew Brown

A professor of organisation studies is to rejoin one of his former institutions after an 18-month stint at another university. Andrew Brown has returned from the University of Warwick to the business school at the University of Bath, where he spent six years teaching from 2004. "Bath is a very pleasant place to work. It's both person-respecting and unbureaucratic," he said. Professor Brown's research focuses on people's identities in organisations, including the processes of identity formation, protection and renewal. "I'm looking at what organisations do to ensure people adopt particular beliefs and values, and define themselves in a particular way, as well as how their aspirations to be a particular person are moulded in the long term by the organisation," he said. "The other side of my research looks at how people kick back using irony and satire, and carve out their independence." Professor Brown took his undergraduate degree at the University of Oxford and holds an MSc and a PhD from the University of Sheffield. Having worked with groups as diverse as the Parachute Regiment and prison inmates in Helsinki, he hopes to investigate the dynamics of sports teams. "I'm looking forward to starting a new project on a rugby team, the first time I'll have looked at a professional sport," he said. Besides Warwick and Bath, Professor Brown has previously worked at the universities of Manchester, Nottingham and Cambridge.

Imperial College London/Nanyang Technological University

Dermot Kelleher

The new principal of the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London, Dermot Kelleher, has also been named dean of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine in Singapore - a partnership between Imper-ial and Nanyang Technological University. Professor Kelleher graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a degree in medicine before undertaking specialist training in gastroenterology. He received a Fogarty Scholarship in 1986, which funded a research fellowship at the University of California, San Diego. Returning to the Dublin institution in 1989 as a Wellcome senior fellow in clinical science, he was appointed to the Trinity College chair in clinical medicine in 2001. In 2006 he was named head of the School of Medicine and vice-provost for medical affairs. "The Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine has ambitious goals to redefine both medical education and research," he said. "It will be a privilege to work with this dedicated team to set the direction for the school's research strategy and begin training a generation of outstanding doctors to serve Singapore."

Other changes

Lord Coe, chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, has been appointed pro chancellor of his alma mater, Loughborough University. "I am looking forward to being able to contribute to the future of the university which provided me with such support, as both a student and graduate and also in my athletics career," he said.

The University for the Creative Arts has named Mark Little to the post of executive dean in the Faculty of Fashion, Architecture and 3D Design. Mr Little is currently head of the Ealing School of Art, Design and Media at the University of West London.

Anglia Ruskin University has appointed John Willan visiting professor at the Lord Ashcroft International Business School. Professor Willan, who has held senior roles in the music industry, completed a music degree at the University of Edinburgh and postgraduate study at the Royal Academy of Music in London before joining EMI as a classical record producer. He has also served as managing director of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

St George's, University of London has honoured two of the country's most prominent figures in higher education as well as one of its own senior scholars. Sir Peter Scott, the former vice-chancellor of Kingston University, was instrumental in developing the Faculty of Health and Social Care Sciences, a joint partnership between Kingston and St George's. Sir Graeme Davies received an honorary fellowship for steering the University of London through a period of considerable change as vice-chancellor from 2003 to 2010. Paul Andrews, emeritus professor of comparative physiology at St George's, was awarded an honorary fellowship in recognition of his 28 years of service at the university.