The University of Wales, Lampeter has named Medwin Hughes vice-chancellor, as part of plans to merge the institution with Trinity University College to create the University of Wales: Trinity Saint David. Dr Hughes, already named as vice-chancellor of Trinity University College, takes over from Alfred Morris, who was appointed interim vice-chancellor at London Metropolitan University. Dr Hughes became principal of Trinity College in 2000 and played a key role in its achieving university status in 2009. Before this, he was deputy principal and an assistant principal at the university. He also serves on a number of government and inter- governmental committees and advisory groups, and is a fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts.

Three new executive deans have been appointed at the University of Plymouth to build on the university's strategy of working with businesses, industry and the National Health Service. The deans, who will also carry the title of pro vice-chancellor, are: David Wheeler, who takes on the position of dean/pro vice-chancellor business. He is the dean of faculty management at Dalhousie University, Canada, and has advised the World Bank and the governments of the UK, Canada, Botswana, Nicaragua and Peru on business matters. Richard Stephenson, who becomes dean/pro vice-chancellor health, joins from the University of East Anglia, where he is the head of the School of Allied Health Professions. Before moving into higher education, Professor Stephenson had roles in neurological rehabilitation and mental health. Richard Gibb, who is named dean/pro vice-chancellor science and technology, has been dean of the faculty of science at Plymouth since 2008. A well-known scholar of regional integration and sub- Saharan Africa, Professor Gibb is a research associate at the South African Institute of International Affairs, University of the Witwatersrand, and a research fellow of the Brenthurst Foundation.

A postdoctoral researcher from the University of Surrey will be taking part in space missions after he was chosen as one of the European Space Agency's next intake of astronauts. Andreas Mogensen was among six successful applicants out of 8,000 who went through a selection process involving psychological, medical and professional screening. Dr Mogensen is researching the guidance and control of spacecraft during planetary landings at the university's Surrey Space Centre. In his new role he will be required to take part in trips to the International Space Station.

The registrar and secretary at the University of Sussex, Philip Harvey, is taking the same role at the University of Sheffield. Having held senior roles at the universities of Exeter and Warwick, Dr Harvey undertook the inaugural Universities UK Top Management Programme in 1999-2000 and has contributed to management development programmes in the UK and overseas. He has served on several national working parties in higher education and is convenor of the Association of Heads of University Administration (AHUA) south region and a member of the AHUA national executive. He will take up his new role in September, following the retirement of the incumbent registrar and secretary David Fletcher.

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Bangor University's Kathy Hopewell has been crowned the higher education tutor of the year. Dr Hopewell was awarded the accolade at this year's Inspire Adult Tutor and Mentor Awards in acknowledgement of her dedication to teaching and mentoring and her commitment to lifelong learning. The awards are organised by NIACE Dysgu Cymru, the institution that promotes adult learning in Wales. Dr Hopewell said: "I am a firm believer in the value of adult education, and my desire to share my love of literature has kept me motivated throughout my teaching career. I've gained so much from my students and I hope I've been able to help them to achieve their goals."

Karen Sweeting has been appointed the new head of the business school at City College Plymouth, where she will be responsible for establishing and developing the faculty. She has worked at the college since 1998, but her career has included spells at Lloyds TSB and Securicor Pony Express. She is working towards chartered manager status with the Chartered Management Institute and is a fellow of the Institute of Administrative Management.

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The new dean at Oxford Brookes University's business school is Chris Cooper. He is the director of the Christel DeHaan Tourism and Travel Research Centre at the University of Nottingham, and prior to that was head of the School of Tourism at the University of Queensland, Australia. Professor Cooper is recognised as a leading expert in tourism education and has international research and consultancy experience. He is also a member of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation Leadership Forum and panel of experts.

In a first for Scotland, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) chair has been created at Perth College UHI in recognition of the institution's work into maintaining mountains and their communities. Martin Price, director of the Centre for Mountain Studies, will take on the new chair in sustainable mountain development, where he will work with international partners to promote the field. Having transferred from the University of Oxford to establish the centre in 2000, Professor Price was appointed the world's first professor of mountain studies in 2005. In 2007, he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with former US vice-president and environmental activist Al Gore.

The University of Sheffield's Yorick Wilks has been awarded the British Computer Society's Lovelace Medal in honour of his contribution to the development of information technology. The medal is presented annually to people who have played a part in the advancement of information systems. Professor Wilks has worked in the field of artificial intelligence for almost half a century, and has created many approaches to the understanding of natural language content by computers. He follows in the footsteps of previous winners such as Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who received the prize in 2006 for inventing the World Wide Web.

Rebecca Arnold is to join the Courtauld Institute of Art, taking over the position as lecturer in dress and textiles from Aileen Ribeiro, who retires in September. Dr Arnold is a research fellow at the Royal College of Art and visiting fellow at the Victoria and Albert Museum. She has contributed to magazines and journals on various topics in the world of fashion, and has recently published her second book, The American Look: Fashion, Sportswear and the Image of Women in 1930s and 1940s New York.

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