PROMOTIONS TO READERSHIPS

The Professorial and Readerships Promotions Committee met this week and agreed the following promotions to Readership level which are, as always, subject to the formal ratification of Senate and Council. 

Dr Sue Read (Research Institute for Life Course Studies)
 
Sue Read has worked in the area of learning disability since 1976.   Sue was one of the first of Keele's nursing academics to be awarded a PhD and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2006.  Her thesis, based on development of a bereavement counselling manual for people with learning disabilities, arose from her role as a bereavement counsellor in North Staffs.  Her research interests are focused on loss, bereavement and death specifically amongst people with learning disabilities.  Sue has made an outstanding contribution to research in this highly specialised field.  She also carries an active case load of bereaved people with learning disabilities in addition to teaching and management responsibilities.  The award of Reader recognises her substantial publications record and international contributions to bereavement and learning disabilities as well as her broader role in developing research capacity within the School of Nursing & Midwifery.

Dr Ying Yang (Research Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine)

Ying Yang gained her BSc and MSc degrees in Chemical Engineering from Hunan University and her PhD in Polymer Science from the University of Manchester in 1994.  She subsequently undertook postdoctoral fellowships in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Keele where she joined ISTM in 1997.  Ying was appointed to a Lectureship in 2001 and has since built an extremely successful research group working in the field of biomaterials and tissue engineering.  She has gained wide acclaim for her work on nano fibre-based scaffolds and in the use of optical coherence tomography.  During this time she has published over 100 articles including 70 peer reviewed papers in international journals.  Her work at Keele has been supported by grants from the EU and various research councils, including two current awards from BBSRC valued at 940k.  She currently supervises 5 PhD students as well as co-ordinating the MSc in Tissue Engineering.

Dr Elaine Thomas (Research Institute for Primary Care and Health Sciences)

Elaine Thomas has an international reputation for her epidemiological studies on the impact of pain in older people and for her collaborative work with clinical researchers on trials of common treatments for shoulder pain and knee osteoarthritis in primary care.  Elaine is author of 91 peer-reviewed papers and a co-applicant on two current major grants from MRC for 935k and ARC for 788k.  She has a key role in providing methodological leadership for the ARC Centre's series of randomised clinical trials investigating interventions for osteoarthritis.  In addition, she provides general analytical advice to individual clinicians that have led to publications in high impact journals, new research projects and new fellowship application.  Elaine is a regular reviewer for journals and grant agencies.  She is an external examiner at London University and serves on a NHS ethics committee.

Dr Kelvin Jordan (Research Institute for Primary Care and Health Sciences)

Kelvin Jordan has achieved international recognition for his work on the statistical patterns characterising the course of chronic pain and the associated disability and health care use over time.  He has collaborated closely with other members of the ARC Centre in developing the use of local general practice consultation data to answer health-related research questions.   Kelvin's contribution to quantitative methodological development has been a significant factor in the award of major NIHR programme grants and the ARC Centre grant.  In addition to clinical publications he has developed and published on statistical methodolgy.  He has been involved in supervising numerous GP research projects, evaluating grants for HTA and other funders, and has been a member of the NIHR Research for Patient Benefit regional funding committee since 2006.

KEELE CONFERENCE TEAM STRIKE GOLD AT NATIONAL AWARDS

Keele Conferences struck gold at the prestigious annual Meetings And Incentive Travel Awards this week against tough competition that included Warwick, Aston and Leicester universities, One Great George Street (Westminster) and Church House Conference Centre (adjoining Westminster Abbey.

The team took the gold awards in the Best Value for Money Conference Venue and Best Conference and Banqueting Staff categories and also won silver in the Best Academic Venue category. The winners were announced at a Gala Presentation Dinner, attended by more than 600 industry professionals, at the Novotel London West hotel.

Claire Snape, Head of Keele Conferences, who received the Best Value for Money Conference Venue award, said: "This award recognises the quality of our service, facilities and prices at a time when many companies and organisations are looking for a quality venue at a competitive price.  We are also thrilled that once again Keele's staff have been acknowledged for their high standard of customer service."
Marcus Wilson, Marketing Manager CFM, received the award for Best Conference and Banqueting Staff and Jenny Tucker, Director CFM, received the Best Academic Venue award.
It was the 11th successive year that Keele's commercial team have picked up a clutch of awards at the ceremony.  They are voted for by Keele's customers and meetings and events organisers and recognise the work of the conferences, catering and accommodation teams.

THE ECOLOGICAL INNOVATION ZONE

Researchers Professor Andrew Dobson and Dr Steve Quilley, Research Institute for Law, Politics and Justice, are the authors of an idea that has been selected by the Sustainable Development Commission (which reports direct to No 10), for its 'potential to inspire change; potential to have a significant impact on sustainability in the UK; and likelihood of creating some kind of shift in the next 3-5 years'.

It was one of 300 ideas submitted, and is now in a list of 40, which will be whittled down to 10-20 for further publicity and development.  The idea is an 'Ecological Innovation Zone'.  The submission states that, 'Breaking the links between economic growth and environmental degradation requires new, more sustainable products and services and new business models which reduce ecological footprints whilst enhancing competitiveness. This idea aims to link technological innovation to a large-scale process of social experimentation, enrolling communities, private sector companies and local government. The focus will be on how an economically disadvantaged city (such as Stoke-on-Trent) might attract large scale inward investment by opening itself up as a site for techno-social innovation; an 'Ecological Innovation Zone'.

All the ideas can be seen here: http://system.newzapp.co.uk/GLink.asp?LID=MTk1ODg4Myw5, then click on 'Land Use and Planning', then on 'The Ecological Innovation Zone'.  Comments can be made to http://system.newzapp.co.uk/GLink.asp?LID=MTk1ODg4NCw5 by 6 March.

MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR ROLLS INTO KEELE

Widening Participation and Life Long Learning Division's Events Team hosted a 'seeing is believing' bus tour for 100, 10 and 11 year olds this week. The Aimhigher project was the first in a series that sees local youngsters visit an HEI, college and / or workplace in an action packed day. Two groups of students from James Bateman Middle School came on to campus as well as visiting Leek College. The day aims to raise aspirations and provide the young people with an early platform in which to start thinking about post GCSE decision making. Their programme saw them take part in an interactive quiz on Higher Education which was ran by undergraduate, senior mentor Adam Gledhill, and a mentor - led campus quest.

£1.5M AWARD FOR ASTROPHYSICS GROUP

The Astrophysics Group, members of the Research Institute for the Environment, Physical Sciences and Applied Mathematics, have been awarded £1.485M in a renewal of the Science and Technology Facilities Council Astrophysics Rolling Grant.

Two new Postdoctoral Research Assistant (PDRA) posts reinforce the WASP team hunting for extrasolar planets, led by PI of the grant, Dr. Coel Hellier, with Drs. Pierre Maxted and Barry Smalley.

Further PDRA support was awarded to Dr. Rob Jeffries for studying young stars around which planets form.

KEELE LECTURER UNDER FIRE

A Keele staff member found himself under fire this week when a terrorist air raid on Colombo, Sri Lanka, forced him to take cover under a restaurant table in the city centre.

Dr Chris Hawksley, School of Computing and Mathematics, was dining with staff from other UK universities, who were attending a British Council education exhibition in the city, when emergency blackout procedures were immediately followed by a spectacular barrage of radar-guided anti-aircraft fire from adjacent gun emplacements.

The light aircraft used in the raid and reportedly packed with high explosives on a suicide mission were eventually shot down before reaching their likely targets, with one crashing into a nearby income tax office. Sadly, at least three people were killed and 45 injured in the raid, which was reported to be a desperate act of LTTE rebels now cornered in a small and shrinking region of the north of the country.  All university staff were unharmed.

Chris paid tribute to the staff of the hotel and restaurant, who remained calm throughout and put into practice what were clearly pre-rehearsed evacuation plans to minimise the dangers from explosion and falling ordnance.

He added that it is also to the credit of all concerned that the exhibition subsequently went ahead over the following days with relatively few universities pulling out, and this was much appreciated by the visiting local students.

RESEARCH GRANTS

Professor John Vogler, Research Institute for Law, Politics and Justice (iLPJ), has been awarded £155,708 by the Economic and Social Research Council for a 60 months project titled "Climate Change".

Professor Barry Godfrey, iLPJ, has been awarded £7,108 by the Nuffield Foundation for a six months project titled "The making of the prison crisis, 1869-1945: A Pilot Study".

Professor Yibin Fu, Research Institute for the Environment, Physical Sciences and Applied Mathematics, has been awarded £2,029 by INTAS for a two year investigation of global catastrophes for nonlinear processes in continuum mechanics.

KEELE'S SPRING WEDDING FAYRE

With Keele Hall undergoing a refurbishment, the annual wedding fayre moved to Chancellor's Building.  Guests could still see the Salvin Suite at Keele Hall but the emphasis was on the informal and freshly decorated Comus and Exhibition Hall.

Visitors were pleasantly surprised to find such a bright and airy restaurant at the heart of the campus.

Thirty-three exhibitors and a fashion show gave brides and grooms plenty ideas for their big day.