Appointments

The University of Cambridge's Keith Straughan has opted for a move away from the traditional higher education system in favour of working in the new University Centre in Milton Keynes (UCMK) - a collaboration between the University of Bedfordshire, The Open University, the University of Northampton and Milton Keynes College. He will become the first dean for UCMK and its Enterprise Hub Hatchery, which will open its doors later this month. Dr Straughan's previous roles include those of senior tutor and fellow in theology at the University of Cambridge and lecturer in medical imaging at Imperial College, London. He is also well known for his work in medical imaging technology and was involved in implementing the first-ever clinical MRI scanner. He said: "We will be carrying out research and development from an early stage and I already see a synergy emerging between my own specialism and Milton Keynes' strong presence in the high-tech and creative industries."

Chris Price has been appointed campus director of the University Centre in Folkestone, a satellite campus of Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Greenwich. Mr Price moved to Canterbury 30 years ago to sing as a lay clerk in the cathedral choir, a professional post that he still holds. He will also continue as programme director for Canterbury Christ Church University's performing arts degree. He succeeds Tim Barry, the University Centre Folkestone's project manager, who oversaw the launch of the campus in September 2007.

A former director and chief executive of the Sydney Graduate School of Management, David Lamond has been appointed associate dean of Nottingham Business School at Nottingham Trent University. Professor Lamond has previously been involved in developing executive education programmes for McDonald's, Deutsche Bank and Siemens and he also helped to develop the College of Business at the University of Western Sydney. He was the founding dean and professor for the Kochi International Business School, India.

Jane Millar has taken on the role of pro vice-chancellor for research at the University of Bath. Having joined Bath in 1988 as a lecturer, Professor Millar has held a number of posts since, including head of the department of social and policy sciences. She takes over the role from Kevin Edge, who has become the university's deputy vice-chancellor following the retirement of the former deputy, George Lunt, after 37 years at the university.

Aston University has announced that Phil Extance will take up the position of pro vice-chancellor for knowledge transfer and business partnerships. He is currently director of innovation for the West Midlands' regional development agency, Advantage West Midlands (AWM), the lead executive on the regional Innovation and Technology Council, and he runs AWM's Birmingham Science City activities. His previous roles include that of executive director at the Shropshire Learning and Skills Council. Along with the appointment of Dr Extance, Aston has named Robert Berry executive dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. He spent more than 20 years at IBM in various engineering roles, most recently as chief technology officer. Dr Berry was responsible for trying to bridge the gap between academia and industry, and the university said that it is this experience that led to his appointment.

Neil Ward has been appointed dean of the University of East Anglia's faculty of social sciences. He joins UEA from Newcastle University, where he was professor of rural and regional development and director of the Centre for Rural Economy since 2004. Professor Ward trained as a geographer and began his academic career at University College London. His research projects have focused on agricultural change, food politics and environmental management, as well as rural and regional economic development. He is working on a project on flood risk modelling and management. UEA has also announced that the new dean of the faculty of health will be Ian Harvey. Professor Harvey is currently professor of epidemiology and public health at UEA's School of Medicine, Health Policy and Practice and the associate dean for research.

The UK director of fundraising at children's charity Barnardo's, Steve O'Connor, is to become the University of Leicester's first director of development. Mr O'Connor, a graduate of the university, has led fundraising at the charity for the past eight years. A fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, he said: "This is a great opportunity for me to return to my alma mater and work with alumni and supporters to help spearhead future growth." Mr O'Connor joined Barnardo's in December 2000, after five years as head of fundraising at health charity Macmillan Cancer Support. His previous roles include time as a community development worker, local government in Scotland and senior sales and marketing roles with a worldwide children's brand.

John Moss has been appointed dean of the Faculty of Education at Canterbury Christ Church University. Dr Moss, who succeeds Sonia Blandford, was formerly the head of postgraduate initial teacher education at Canterbury Christ Church University. He will now provide strategic management and academic leadership for the faculty of education's work. Dr Moss' previous roles have included senior lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University before he took up the positions of principal lecturer in English, head of secondary education and finally head of postgraduate initial teacher education. Speaking about his new role, he said: "By increasing our engagement with local, national, international and internal partners we will work in partnership to transform education. Cultivating and sustaining these partnerships is crucial because they combine strengths to effect significant educational change."

Sociologist Philomena de Lima has been appointed the new director of the Inverness-based research centre UHI PolicyWeb, succeeding John Bryden on his retirement. The centre, funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, is an interdisciplinary unit spanning the UHI Millennium Institute and focusing on public policy in rural and remote areas. Ms de Lima, a senior researcher at UHI since 2004, is an associate director for the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships at the University of Edinburgh.

Philippe Lane has been appointed Attache for Higher Education at the French Embassy in London. He held the position of professor of French linguistics at the University of Rouen and was recently the institution's vice-president (international affairs). His fields of research are text linguistics, paratext and book publishing. He co-edited (with John West-Sooby) Traditions and Mutations in French Studies: The Australian Scene (1997).