Appointments

Bryn Mawr

Susan Sutton

A scholar who moved over to the "dark side" of university administration has been appointed senior adviser for international initiatives at her alma mater. Susan Sutton will join Bryn Mawr in Pennsylvania in early 2011 after spending 33 years working at Indiana University. She first joined Indiana as a post-doctoral researcher and lecturer following completion of a PhD in anthropology. "I came to Indiana as a typical New Yorker," she said. "I thought I would go there for a year or two and then go back to a real place. But I found it was a real place." She stayed at the institution, becoming professor of anthropology before finally taking up the role of associate vice-principal for international programmes in 2003. "It was time to find another arena to be an anthropologist in," she explained. "The scales fell from my eyes. I came to understand that administrators were not evil. The freedom that faculty members have is dependent on good administration. I came to see the real importance of it." Returning to Bryn Mawr, Professor Sutton hopes to continue the work that the college has been doing at a local and national level on the international stage, including partnering with schools, colleges and universities around the world. "The college has a role to play in joining in the conversation about education for women globally," she said.

University of Buckingham

Jonathan Asbridge

The first male student to be admitted to the Nightingale School of Nursing at St Thomas' Hospital in London has been appointed foundation professor of nursing at the University of Buckingham. Sir Jonathan Asbridge said he had wanted to be a nurse from the age of 11. "I had to fight tooth and nail against my parents," he said. "They wanted me to be a doctor or a lawyer. It was a real battle at home. My mother has never acknowledged that I am a nurse." He was accepted on to the course, trained at the hospital, and worked his way up from an intensive care nurse to be named a director of nursing at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford while still in his twenties. As his career also included a stint at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, he found himself with divided loyalties. "My children cheer for both teams in the boat race," he said. Later posts included chief executive of the Barts and The London NHS Trust and president of the Nursing and Midwifery Council. At Buckingham, his remit will include creating new courses in nursing. "I have been a nurse for 35 years," he said. "One thing I am sure about is that well-trained nurses need to understand the essentials of patient care as well as the details of healthcare in the 21st century. The public believe we have lost our passion for putting patients first. "

University of Chester

Peter Stokes

Business ethics expert Peter Stokes hopes that his new role will help him carve out a future for the business school. "There is a real opportunity for business schools across Europe to reinvent themselves," he said. Dr Stokes has joined Chester Business School, based at the University of Chester, as professor of sustainable management, marketing and tourism. "One of the things I've been doing is looking at responsible management. I am also looking at behaviours and values that underpin that managerial and organisational sense." He will also analyse the ethical measures that are seen as "useful and appropriate" within the business community. Combining a career in business with higher education, Dr Stokes was awarded an MBA from Strathclyde Business School in 1991, followed by a PhD in management from Brunel University in 2000. He joins Chester from the University of Central Lancashire, where he was division leader of the marketing faculty. He is also a visiting lecturer and researcher at a number of European business schools, including Amiens Graduate Business School in France and CityEdu in Hong Kong.

University of Melbourne

Steven Prawer

A physicist has been appointed interim director of the Defence Science Institute (DSI) of the University of Melbourne, which is tasked with preparing for a major attack on Australia. The university has joined with the Australian government's Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) to establish the new institute, which will use interdisciplinary research to solve some of the long-term challenges faced by the Australian Defence Force. Steven Prawer, director of the Melbourne Materials Institute, has been appointed to lead it. He said: "The DSI will provide the best chance of finding innovative responses to the challenges we face, secure in the knowledge that when the time comes, the DSTO will be able to deploy these technologies in the field for maximum impact and benefit." Initial research questions examined at the institute under Professor Prawer will include: how to prepare for and recover from a biological or chemical attack; how new energy systems can be created from battery technology and renewable energy sources; and how to create micro-radars for use in unmanned aircraft.

OTHER CHANGES

Julie Mcleod has been promoted to assistant vice-chancellor for teaching, learning and the student experience at the University of the West of England. She joined the university in 1998 as senior lecturer in immunology.

The University of Huddersfield has appointed two professors to its business school. Stephen Swailes joins from the University of Hull as professor of human resource management. Roszaini Haniffa, professor of accounting and finance, joins Huddersfield from the University of Bradford. She is joint editor of the Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research.

Thom Brooks, reader in political and legal philosophy at Newcastle University, has been elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Royal Holloway, University of London has named Simon Higman its new registrar and director of operations. Currently registrar and chief operating officer of the University of Southampton, he previously worked at the BBC. In another appointment at Royal Holloway, Helen Coleman has been named director of communications and external relations, a post formed following the merger of the development and communications departments.

Denise Skinner has been named the dean of the Faculty of Business, Environment and Society at Coventry University after a period as acting dean. She was previously associate dean (applied research) and professor of human resource management.

Richard Moorhead, professor of law at Cardiff University, has been appointed to the Legal Services Consumer Panel, an expert advisory group that aims to ensure that legal services meet consumer needs.

Elias Mossialos, professor of health policy at the London School of Economics, has been awarded the 2010 Andrija Stampar medal for services to public health.