After working at Wigan Athletic Football Club, Heinz and British Airways, Colin Greth¨¨ has joined the University of Abertay Dundee as its head of human resources. He lists his interests as travel, especially to Thailand, where he met his wife. Some avid prime-time television viewers may recognise him from a 1995 episode of the programme Stars in their Eyes, where his impersonation of Australian entertainer Rolf Harris proved so popular that he was invited back for the show's Christmas special that year. Mr Grethe is also interested in paranormal activity in the workplace and is planning a PhD on the subject.

David Greenaway has been appointed the next vice-chancellor of the University of Nottingham, to succeed Sir Colin Campbell when he retires in the summer. The appointment to the post that Sir Colin has held for 20 years, is from within the university's ranks. Professor Greenaway is currently pro vice-chancellor for research and knowledge transfer and director of the Leverhulme Centre for Research on Globalization and Economic Policy. He has served as a pro vice-chancellor since 2004, and he previously held the post from 1994 to 2001. He joined the university in 1987 as head of the department of economics. Professor Greenaway currently chairs the economics and econometrics panel for the 2008 research assessment exercise. He said he was invigorated by the prospect of working to advance the quality of teaching, research and internationalisation at the university.

Already well known for his range of pasta sauces and Masterchef TV show, journalist and television presenter Loyd Grossman has been recognised for his work as a custodian of heritage and the arts with a post as chairman of the University College for the Creative Arts. UCCA rector Elaine Thomas said that Mr Grossman's "lifelong commitment to the arts, heritage and media industries", as well as his status as "an extremely successful businessman", made him ideal for the role as the college works towards achieving full university status this year.

Joanna Berry, academic director of executive MBA programmes at the Newcastle University Business School, has been appointed chairman of the North East branch of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. A fellow of the Institute of Business Consulting, she is also communications director for London-based record label MVine.

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Dramatist Louise Page has joined the University of Huddersfield as part of an initiative to promote good writing practice in higher education. The Royal Literary Fund fellowship scheme, which was launched in 1999, places writers in universities to support students in their academic writing. Ms Page, writer of TV dramas including Broken Lives and Bad Girls, said: "My key role is to give students confidence in their own writing and let them know when they are writing well. I don't proofread, I challenge them to write in a stronger way." The fellowship will initially run for two years, but the university hopes to extend it.

North East Wales Institute of Higher Education has appointed Danielle Perigoe to lead a new marketing and student recruitment department. Ms Perigoe, from Toronto, will be responsible for a 15-strong team charged with raising the institute's profile. She is currently completing a PhD at the University of Bath, exploring the differences in marketing strategies between Welsh and Canadian institutions.

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Jan Wilkinson, the head of higher education at the British Library, has joined the University of Manchester as university librarian and director of the John Rylands University Library. Before joining the British Library in 2004, she was university librarian and keeper of the Brotherton Collection at the University of Leeds. Prior to taking that post, she served as deputy librarian at the London School of Economics.

John Gunn, director of the Limestone Research Group at the University of Huddersfield, has received two major awards prior to his forthcoming retirement from the university's School of Applied Sciences. He was recently presented with honorary life membership of the National Speleological Society. He was also awarded the title of emeritus professor for serving the university with distinction since 1993.

Graeme Gooday, director of the Centre for Heritage Research at the University of Leeds, is celebrating receipt of a Pounds 500,000 grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council. As principal investigator, Dr Gooday will lead a group project on the history of intellectual property between 1880 and 1920. "A century ago, Western scientists and engineers often had to pursue patents to generate income to support their research, trading their dignity to get lucrative intellectual property rights," he explained.

University of St Andrews honorary professor Douglas Lloyd has received his PhD from the institution at the age of 87. Professor Lloyd joined the university in 1947, where he served for over 60 years, specialising in organic chemistry.

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An asylum seeker who was threatened with deportation while at the same time being invited to the Queen's Christmas party will share her experiences of community development work as a lecturer on a new course at the University of Salford. In 2000, Farhat Khan and her children fled domestic violence in her native Pakistan. She later faced the threat of deportation from the UK at the same time as being praised for her voluntary work with community groups. Supporters helped Ms Khan gain full refugee status last year. She is now part of a team at Salford's School of Community, Health Sciences and Social Care, teaching the first cohort of students on a new PgCert in community development work (black and minority ethnic mental health).

Northumbria University has named a new vice-chancellor, Andrew Wathey. Professor Wathey, 49, is senior vice-principal, Royal Holloway College, University of London. He will join Northumbria in May and will formally take over from Kel Fidler in September. Gavin Black, chair of governors at Northumbria, said Professor Wathey "will lead the creative process of moulding a university fit for the 21st century ... Andrew is in no doubt about the challenges we face, but he shares our confidence in the capacity of the academic community to deliver success."

Catherine Mitchell has joined the University of Exeter's geography department on the Tremough campus in Penryn. She is the UK's first female professor of energy policy.