Appointments

January 17, 2013

King's College London

Tony Charman

King's College London has appointed a child autism expert to its Institute of Psychiatry. Tony Charman, who has previously held posts at University College London's Institute of Child Health and the Institute of Education, University of London, joins as chair in clinical child psychology and returns to the place where he gained his PhD. "I am very excited at the prospect of returning to the Institute of Psychiatry nearly 25 years after I completed my training there," he said. "I look forward to extending my existing collaborations with colleagues across the institute and developing new collaborations and relationships." His main research interest is the investigation of social cognitive development in children with autism and the clinical application of this work via screening, diagnostic, epidemiological, early intervention, outcome and "at risk" studies. After studying natural sciences at the University of Cambridge, Professor Charman completed his clinical psychology training at King's. He served as a lecturer in clinical psychology at UCL before moving to the Behavioural and Brain Sciences Unit in the Institute of Child Health at the same institution. He has been a member of the development group for two sets of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines for children and young people with autism.

Harper Adams University

Michael Heasman

A new senior lecturer in food marketing and management at Harper Adams University said the institution's commitment to "working in a sustainable manner" was a major attraction for taking up the position. "Throughout my career I have focused on food policy and business and consumption, and it's great to come to a place that is exclusively connected with agriculture and food," Michael Heasman said. He added that he hoped his experience in food study would complement Harper Adams' agriculture background and "join the dots of the food supply chain" to offer students, researchers and outside stakeholders comprehensive expertise. Dr Heasman studied for a BSc and a doctorate at the University of Bradford and is co-author with Tim Lang of Food Wars: The Global Battle for Mouths, Minds and Markets. He said that currently there was a "dysfunctional" food supply system in the world: "On the one hand people are going to bed hungry every day and children are dying through malnourishment, and on the other side we see a global epidemic in obesity." Dr Heasman has held positions at institutions around the world including Aalborg University in Denmark, the University of Alberta in Canada, Sheffield Hallam University and City University London.

University of Bristol

Judith Squires

The University of Bristol has appointed Judith Squires pro vice-chancellor for education, replacing Nick Lieven, who has taken on the newly created role of pro vice-chancellor (international). Professor Squires, who is currently dean of social sciences and law and professor of political theory at Bristol, said it was an honour to have been selected. She has been at Bristol for more than 20 years. "I look forward to working with colleagues and students to ensure that we continue to offer an educational experience that is not only inclusive and supportive but also research-informed and exciting, equipping students to excel in their future chosen careers," she said. After gaining a degree in politics from the University of Edinburgh, Professor Squires completed an Economic and Social Research Council-funded PhD in political theory at the University of London. She worked at the Institute of Contemporary Arts as associate director of lectures and seminars before joining Bristol in 1990 as a lecturer in politics. In 2000 she was appointed senior lecturer and was made a professor five years later. She became dean of social sciences and law in 2009.

University of Huddersfield

Franc Chamberlain

The new professor of drama at the University of Huddersfield said that a personal connection with the work of a member of the Chekhov dynasty had helped to form his current research interests. Franc Chamberlain, who has joined Huddersfield after a six-year spell at University College Cork, said Michael Chekhov's book To The Actor spoke to him in a way that other texts had not. "I thought it was the only book I had read on acting that spoke about the processes as I understood them," he said. Since then Professor Chamberlain has written extensively on the life and work of Chekhov - who was playwright Anton Chekhov's nephew - and is currently guest editing an issue of the journal Theatre, Dance and Performance Training devoted to Michael Chekhov's legacy. He hopes to boost research in the field of drama and performance by drawing on his own diverse interests. "I felt very positive about the move," he said. "There is some really good groundwork here for things to grow and develop, and part of my job now is to develop the research aspect." He also hopes to help his students gain transferable skills that will enable them to pursue varied career paths related to the field, including theatrical training, scriptwriting or even academia.

OTHER CHANGES

Fergal Keane, the award-winning Irish writer, journalist and broadcaster, has been named a professorial fellow at the University of Liverpool's Institute of Irish Studies. Mr Keane, who holds an honorary doctorate from the university, is best known for a BBC career during which he has reported from some of the world's most dangerous war zones. He is currently a special correspondent for the broadcaster covering international affairs.

Two Sheffield Hallam University academics have been honoured by the Higher Education Academy in recognition of their achievements in the areas of strategic leadership and academic practice and development. Mike Bramhall, head of teaching, learning and assessment, and Ann Macaskill, head of research, have been made principal fellows of the HEA. In addition, their Sheffield Hallam colleagues Sally Bradley, Alison Purvis, Donna Woodhouse and Mark O'Hara have all been made senior fellows of the HEA for their contributions to teaching.

Paul Omar, professor of international and comparative insolvency law at Nottingham Trent University's law school, has been named consultant to the International Finance Corporation, a division of the World Bank. Professor Omar will be involved in reviewing legislative proposals in the corporate and insolvency law fields, including offering advice on their compliance with international benchmarking standards and globally accepted best practice.

Camilla Schneck, senior lecturer in midwifery at the School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities at the University of São Paulo, has come to City University London on a Leverhulme Trust postdoctoral fellowship to work on a study about the implementation of birth centres (midwifery-led units) in Brazil. The research project is led by Christine McCourt, professor of maternal and child health at City.

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