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/

Our Reply:

Dear A/Prof Stewart W. Franks,

Sorted. Say 'hi' to Prof Keith next time you see him. We've never met him, but he feels like an old friend by now (he's still our Twitter beard of choice).

Can we ask for a small service from you in return, which will benefit the whole community? Can you put in a request that your university media office includes releases from http://academicbeards.blogspot.co.uk/ in its media reports. We fear that press officers fail to understand the full gravity of our attention.

Yours,
Academic Beards

Andrew Le Sueur

Andrew is the Director of Studies at the Institute of Law, Jersey. He is Professor of Public Law at Queen Mary, University of London (since May 2006), where he is Director of Teaching and Learning in the Department of Law. He previously held academic posts in the University of Birmingham (as Barber Professor of Jurisprudence, 2001-2006) and UCL (Lecturer, then Reader in Laws, 1988-2000). He is a qualified Barrister in England and Wales and a 'bencher' of Middle Temple. His research and teaching is in the field of constitutional and administrative law and he is editor of the journal Public Law.

http://www.lawinstitute.ac.je/default.asp?contentID=606

Professor Róbert R. Spanó, Dean of Faculty, Faculty of Law, The University of Iceland

Professional Career: 

• 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.

 http://starfsfolk.hi.is/en/simaskra/83