• David Allen, registrar and secretary at the University of Birmingham, is the chair-elect of the Association of Heads of University Administration and will succeed Eddie Newcomb, registrar and secretary of the University of Manchester, from April 2004.

• John Nicholson, former professor in the dental school at King's College London, has been appointed head of the University of Greenwich's Medway School of Science.

• Paul Frank, former head coach of the squash academy at Heriot-Watt University, has been appointed national performance director for Scotland - a post coordinated through Scottish Squash and the East of Scotland Institute of Sport.

• The University of Hull has appointed Mike Brown, former consultant to private and public companies, as its business development officer in the research and enterprise office.

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• John Mellor, chairman of the Foundation for Independent Directors, has been appointed visiting professor at the University of the West of England's Business School.

• The University of Aberdeen has appointed David Heaney senior research fellow in the Highlands and Islands Health Research Institute based in Inverness; and Helen Richards, a GP, has been appointed clinical senior lecturer.

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• David Ekserdjian, former editor of Apollo Magazine, has been appointed professor of history of art and film at the University of Leicester from January 2004; and Mark Allison , former senior lecturer in Spanish studies at Royal Holloway, University of London, will take up his post as professor of Spanish in January.