Academic Beards

Dear Sir/Madam,

I have devotedly followed your website and facebook page ever since your 'champion' academic beard was that of my beloved PhD supervisor, Prof Keith Beven. Whilst I can never claim to ever rival his 'bearded' excellence, I do have a beard of my own - would it be possible to be cited in your journal of academic facial pubes?  It would mean a lot to both myself and my folically-challenged students... (two, albeit weak, ginger beard photos attached)

I did send a similar email to the Royal Society on my non-beard related excellence - they suggested that I go and procreate... You are truly my last hope of achieving any distinguished recognition in my field.

Best wishes, Stewart

A/Prof Stewart W. Franks

School of Engineering
University of Newcastle
http://www.newcastle.edu.au/staff/research-profile/Stewart_Franks/

• Acting Parliamentary Ombudsman of Iceland from 1 January 2009. 

• Professor of Constitutional and Statutory Interpretation from 1 November 2006 (tenured position) (On leave from 1 January 2009). 

• Associate Professor of Law, University of Iceland, from 1 August 2004 (tenured position). 

• District Court Judge (provisional appointment) from 1 April 2004 to 15 May 2004. 

• Deputy Parliamentary Ombudsman of Iceland from 1 January 2002 to 31 July 2004. 

• Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Iceland, from 1 September 2000 to 30 June 2002 (part-time).

• Assistant Professor of Law, University of Iceland, from 1 July 2002 to 31 July 2004 (part-time). 

• Legal Adviser, Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman, from 15 August 1998 to 31 December 2000. On leave from 15 September 1999 to 10 August 2000. 

• Assistant District Court Judge from 15 September 1997 to 1 July 1998. 

• Legal Adviser, Office of the Directorate for Tax Investigations, from 14 May 1997 to 14 September 1997.

• Lecturer on law, University of Iceland, from 1 February 1997 to 31 August 2000.

• Elected Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Iceland, From 1 July 2010 – 30 June 2012. 

• Acting Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Iceland, from 1 January 2008 – 30 June 2008. 

• Elected Vice-Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Iceland from 30 August 2007. 

• Appointed by the Minister of Justice as Acting District Judge in Case No. E-1939/2006: Guðjón St. Marteinsson vs. The Icelandic State. 

• Editor-in-Chief. Review of the Lawyer’s Association of Iceland from 2005.

They used to be seen as highly attractive and a symbol of masculinity, but new research has found the beard may have fallen out of favour.

Wellington anthropologist Barnaby Dixson has published his doctoral thesis on the significance of the beard, and whether old theories about their evolution still hold true.

Charles Darwin said that men evolved beards as a result of sexual selection - theorising that women chose a partner based on a man's facial fur.

Professor David Vocadlo
Canada Research Chair Tier II
Canada Research Chair in Chemical Glycobiology
Scholar of the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research
E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellow
Department of Chemistry
Simon Fraser University

The Laboratory of Chemical Glycobiology

Glycobiology is the study of the structures and roles of carbohydrates in biology. Contrary to popular belief, carbohydrates are not simply energy sources but play many essential roles in cell and organismal biology. Various different types of carbohydrate building blocks are known and these can be linked together in various ways by carbohydrate processing enzymes. The resulting carbohydrate structures are attached to other molecules found in cells including proteins and lipids. The carbohydrate structures present on the resulting glycoconjugates continue to be uncovered as important factors in health and disease.

The laboratory for chemical glycobiology headed by Dr. Vocadlo is engaged in the study of; (i) carbohydrate processing enzymes that act on glycoconjugates, (ii) the development of chemical tools to both perturb the action of these enzymes as well as to monitor glycoconjugates, (iii) and the use of these chemical tools to gain new understanding as to how these enzymes and glycoconjugates mediate biological processes. To realize these aims we study the structures of glycoconjugates using various analytical approaches. We also synthesize substrates to study the specificities of carbohydrate processing enzymes and use the methods of physical organic chemistry and biochemistry to understand how they work to process glycoconjugates. Insights gained through such studies are used to design chemical probes of these enzymes, with a focus on enzyme inhibitors. These probes are validated in vitro, in cells, and in vivo as appropriate. A central objective is to create selective probes of carbohydrate processing enzymes that can be used to evaluate the roles of carbohydrate structures of interest in health and disease.

Dr Adam C Algar, Lecturer
School of Geography, University of Nottingham

Lee J Stemkoski
Assistant Professor
Mathematics and Computer Science
Adelphi University
http://adelphi.edu/~stemkoski/

Professor Steven Rawlings, 50, was found at the home of his best friend of more than 30 years, maths lecturer Dr Devinder Sivia, 49, on Wednesday.

Dr Sivia, from Southmoor, Oxfordshire, was arrested on suspicion of murder and released on police bail until April 18.

Today Prof Rawling's wife Linda Rawlings believed her husband's death was a 'tragic accident'.

The professor's older sister Linda Davey, 64, said: 'We can't think that there was any kind of fight. We can only assume that it was a terrible accident.'

Police confirmed this afternoon that a post-mortem had proved inconclusive and the matter might be a matter for a Coroner's inquest rather than a criminal court.

Police discovered the professor’s body after they were called about an ‘incident’ at Dr Sivia’s bungalow.

Further tests will be carried out over the next few weeks to discover the cause of death.

Det Supt Rob Mason, from Thames Valley Police's Major Crime Unit, said: 'A substantial amount of information is already in the public domain and we can confirm that the two individuals involved have been friends for over thirty years.

'I would emphasise that the police are investigating all potential circumstances that could have led to his death.

'We are mindful that ultimately the death may be a matter for a Coroner’s inquest rather than a criminal court and I would ask for patience from both the media and the public while we continue our investigation.

'Due to the post-mortem examination results proving inconclusive and further examinations being required, this has necessitated a lengthy bail date.'

A neighbour is said to have tried to save the dying man’s life by desperately pumping his chest. But minutes after officers arrived, Dr Sivia – who was dressed all in white – was led away in handcuffs after being arrested on suspicion of murder.

Dr Giacomo Vivanti
Research Fellow
Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering
School of Psychological Science
Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre
Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centre, Margot Prior Wing - La Trobe University Community Children’s Centre, Melbourne (Bundoora)

Welitom Rodrigues Borges
University of Brasília, Institute of Geosciences

Dr Mattias Frey
Lecturer in Film
School of Arts, University of Kent
Dr Mattias Frey received his academic training in Heidelberg, Mannheim and Berlin as well as at Harvard University, where he earned his bachelor and doctoral degrees and taught in the Department for Visual and Environmental Studies. In 2008 he joined the University of Kent as Lecturer in Film Studies. In addition, he serves as Admissions Officer and as Co-ordinator for ERASMUS and Year Abroad programmes for the Film Studies Department.

http://www.kent.ac.uk/arts/staff/mattias_frey.html