LSE to award Nobel Prize winner an Honorary Degree

Professor Muhammad Yunus will be awarded an Honorary Degree and will deliver a lecture to staff and students at a special ceremony on Thursday 24 November.

Lent term Events leaflet

If you are organising an event and want it listed in the Lent term Events leaflet, please send the details to the Press Office by Friday 4 November.

Professor Paul Kelly

Professor Kelly, who came to LSE in 1984 to do his PhD, once ate fish stomach while in Beijing - 'It was interesting but I probably wouldn’t eat another one.'

H.E. Mr Yuan Guiren (pictured), minister of education in the People’s Republic of China, visited LSE on Friday 28 October as part of an official visit to the UK. LSE was the only university to be visited by the minister during his three day visit.

Minister Yuan was greeted by LSE Director Professor Judith Rees and pro-director Professor Janet Hartley. He also met academics and students from the School, including some from the Confucius Institute for Business London.

During his visit, Mr Yuan spoke of the positive impact of education cooperation between LSE and China, and donated 100 sets of Chinese books.

University of Cape Town (UCT) vice-chancellor, Dr Max Price, has signed an agreement with LSE Director Judith Rees for PhD exchanges, during a visit to LSE on Monday 24 October.

This agreement will give two PhD students at LSE an opportunity to spend a semester at UCT and vice versa, each year. Dr Price said: ‘Extending the partnership to LSE is very valuable because for most students and faculty members, it is very important to get some international experience, to meet other academics, and to form networks that will last them into their academic careers and research careers. It’s being able to spend some time while doing their PhD or even doing a sabbatical at a place like LSE. It enriches the programme, it enriches them. They will also gain access to expertise that is otherwise not open to them.’

In the evening, Dr Price also gave a public lecture at the School, entitled ‘Is South African Society More Equal Today Than When Apartheid Ended in 1994?’

LSE is to award Professor Muhammad Yunus (pictured) an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science (Economics), at a special ceremony on Thursday 24 November.

Following the ceremony, Professor Yunus will mark the occasion by delivering a lecture to staff and students, entitled 'Social Business: to solve society's most pressing problems'.

The award of an Honorary Doctorate is one of the most prestigious awards that the School can bestow. The LSE Council may confer an Honorary Doctorate on ‘persons who have made an outstanding contribution to the increased understanding, or appreciation of "the causes of things" and their practical application in the social sciences or related fields.’

Professor Muhammad Yunus is the founder and former managing director of Grameen Bank and winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to create economic and social development.

Legal aid cover should not be cut before the new 'Universal Credit' is fully implemented and a 'polluter pays' clause should be introduced to subsidise the cost burdens of legal aid, LSE academics argue in a briefing paper presented to the House of Lords on Tuesday 1 November.

Professor Deborah James and Dr Alice Forbess, who are conducting ethnographic research in collaboration with Community Links, a charity based in Newham, East London, were asked to brief the House of Lords on their research.

Move of Academic Publishing to Library Services

Academic Publishing has moved from External Relations Division to Library Services with effect from Monday 31 October.

Contact details remain the same for the moment.
 

If you are organising an event and want it listed in the Lent term Events leaflet please send the following details to pressoffice@lse.ac.uk by Friday 4 November:

• date, time (from and to)
• venue
• banner
• title of event
• speaker's title and name
• chair's title and name (if applicable)
• short blurb about the event (20-25 words)
• short biography of speaker (15 words)
• contact details if not being handled by Conferences as part of the Public Lecture Programme
• A high resolution image of the speaker if possible. (Please note that if we have a particularly large number of events we may not be able to include all the images submitted).

Remembrance Day is our chance to remember all those who have lost their lives in any conflict, anywhere in the world. The main act of remembrance falls at 11am every 11 November to commemorate the cessation of the First World War, and those who died in that war and all wars since.

The School and the Students' Union will be holding a Remembrance Day vigil starting at 10.50am in the Shaw Library, sixth floor of the Old Building, on Friday 11 November.

LSE pro-director Professor Janet Hartley, Chaplain Reverend Dr James Walters, and SU general secretary Alex Peters-Day will all say a few words, after which there will be a two minute silence at 11am, the same time that others will fall silent across the country.

Heads of Department are to submit the following to HR on the appropriate electronic form templates (please ensure the appropriate electronic signatures are included):

• Head of Department statements for ALL candidates (Interim Review, Major Review, advanced Interim Review, advanced Major Review, proposed Major Review and Promotions, and proposed Promotions) on form F/1
• Teaching Contribution forms for ALL candidates (Interim Review, Major Review, advanced Interim Review, advanced Major Review, proposed Major Review and Promotions, and proposed Promotions) on form F/4
• Departmental Teaching Observation forms for Interim Review candidates only on form F/5
• Interim Review candidates’ CVs submitted on the CV template F/2
• Major Review Teaching Prize nominations for 2011-12 on form F/6
• Writings of candidates undergoing Major Review, advanced Major Review, Major Review and Promotion, or Promotion.

Self-sponsored promotion candidates are to submit the following to HR on the appropriate form template:

• Their Candidate Statement on form F/12
• Teaching Contribution forms on form F/4
• Writings.

Deadline: Tuesday 15 November
Applications are invited from LSE PhD students for a partnership mobility bursary to visit Peking University in order to work informally with an advisor on their PhD thesis, research and/or on related publications and presentations, and to introduce them to the academic culture, professional contacts and employment opportunities of another country/region.

This call is for the one remaining place to visit Peking University during the remaining 2011-12 academic year for an exchange to conclude no later than the end of July 2012. LSE will provide financial support to the successful candidate in the form of a flat rate bursary of £2,500. The bursary is intended to contribute to the expenses of the participating LSE student, including those relating to travel, accommodation, living, educational materials and/or other education-related costs.

Students registered for PhD studies in any LSE department and who have already been upgraded to full doctoral student status are eligible to apply. Each visit should be a minimum of two months and a maximum of three months in duration.

For graduate internships
LSE Careers promotes graduate internship positions within LSE departments to recent graduates. All internships are full time, paid opportunities (band four) which aim to provide a healthy balance of administrative and project work for the successful applicants.
To discuss your requirements, contact Redvers Lee at r.lee1@lse.ac.uk or on ext 3744.

For temporary work (less than one month)
Our pool of 15 exceptional students can provide temporary support to all LSE departments. The students are reliable, hard working, and conveniently available at short notice.
Student helpers can work up to 15 hours per week during term time and are paid £10.45 an hour. If you would like a student helper, contact Katie Doherty at k.doherty@lse.ac.uk.

Using Cloud-based services and Skype

Using Cloud-based services
Cloud-based services, such as Dropbox, Doodle, Google Docs and Apple’s iCloud offer a number of benefits, including easy access to data, easy collaboration, and in some cases, plenty of storage space. It is important, however, to balance that ease of use and convenience with protecting the School’s data.

With that in mind, IT Services has published guidance on the use of such cloud-based services, and the Planning and Corporate Policy Division will provide specific advice to staff on whether or not it is appropriate for them to store their data in the Cloud.

Skype
Skype is now part of the centrally-managed and supported Windows 7 desktop. It will therefore be available to all staff as computers are upgraded. Where it is urgently required, staff should contact their user support teams to discuss the options. IT Services can also advise on the type of headphones/microphones/web cams that staff are currently using for this purpose.

Property to let
LSE is now offering a self-contained, refurbished bungalow in Berrylands, South West London. Lets are available up to a year from Friday 11 November.

Overlooking the LSE sports ground, this property offers:

• Three double bedrooms
• Family bathroom
• Lounge
• Kitchen
• Large garden
• Ideal for families or those looking for a little more space

Special rates at local hotel
In 2012, Club Quarters will be opening a new hotel in Lincoln's Inn Fields that will offer premium accommodation to LSE staff at excellent rates. Until the new hotel opens, Club Quarters are offering LSE their lowest member rates at hotels in Northumberland Avenue (Trafalgar Square), Gracechurch and St Paul's.

The LSE rates are available to all members of the School and people visiting LSE - just ensure that 'LSE' is quoted in the booking reference.

New Bankside short stay room
Don’t forget to come along to the open morning on Thursday 10 November from 9am-12.30pm at Bankside House. For more details, see last week’s Staff News. Complimentary croissants and coffee will be provided.

Deadlines: 1 December 2011 and 1 May 2012
The residency programme allows for one month of focused work, uninterrupted by the professional and personal demands of daily life, in a diverse and stimulating community of fellow residents.

Residents include an international cohort of scholars, scientists, journalists, writers, artists, non-governmental organisation practitioners and policymakers.

Residencies typically last four weeks, and spouses/partners may accompany residents. There is no charge for accommodation and meals, and travel grants are awarded on a needs basis. Joint applications from co-authors are also welcome.

A yoga workout is just what you need to help you keep fit and avoid stress. Try a lunchtime class with Rachel Auburn on Thursdays from 1-2pm in the Parish Hall, Sheffield Street.

The LSE Perspectives November 2011 gallery is now live. You can view this month's selection of photos here.

The gallery features 12 striking images submitted by members of the LSE community. Each image reflects a unique perspective on a particular scene.

LSE Perspectives is an online gallery featuring photographs taken by LSE students and staff. If you have taken any artistic images on your travels, from your home town or even just here in London why not submit them to LSE Perspectives so that they can be shared with the LSE community.

This week's picture features 'Pi', one of the artefacts found in The Box events venue, located on the fifth floor of Tower Three. The display depicts how in 2002 a Japanese team smashed the world record for calculating the value of pi, resolving it to 1.2411 trillion places (which would take almost 40,000 years to recite).
For more images like this, visit the Photography Unit.

Research e-Briefing

Click here to read the October edition of the Research Division newsletter.

To sign up for research news, recent funding opportunities, research awards that are about to start, and examples of research outcomes, click here.

The next issue is out at the end of November 2011. More
 

On: Tuesday 22 November from 10am-4pm (registration from 9.30am) at the Goodenough College, Mecklenburgh Square, London WC1N 2AB.

Hosted by LSE Health and Social Care, LSE’s Research Division, and The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Research Design Service London, this one day event will showcase the funding opportunities available through the NIHR to undertake and lead health and social care research to improve health and wellbeing in England.

There will be opportunities for delegates to talk to representatives from the different NIHR programmes, find out about the support offered by the NIHR Research Design Service, and take part in one-to-one discussions around potential research ideas/proposals.

Them and Us: a special relationship?
On: Thursday 3 November at 6.30pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker: Sarah Lyall, New York Times' London correspondent, and Justin Webb (pictured), BBC Today programme presenter.

Pillars of Prosperity: the political economics of development clusters
On: Monday 7 November at 6.30pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker: Professor Timothy Besley (pictured), Kuwait Professor of Economics and Political Science, director of STICERD and director of the Institute of Public Affairs at LSE, Professor Francesco Caselli, professor of economics in the Department of Economics at LSE, Professor Torsten Persson, Torsten and Ragnar Söderberg Chair in Economic Sciences at IIES, Stockholm University, and a centennial professor at LSE, and Professor Robert Wade, professor of political economy and development in the Department of International Development at LSE.

More Cooperation is More Security; Towards European Coherence in International Affairs
On: Tuesday 8 November at 1pm in the Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker: Erkki Tuomioja, Finnish minister for foreign affairs.

Emerging Art Markets
On: Tuesday 8 November at 6.30pm in the Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker: Melanie Gerlis, art market editor of The Art Newspaper.

Bombing Savages in Law, in Fact, in Fiction
On: Thursday 10 November at 6.30pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker: Sven Lindqvist, author of over 30 widely translated books including A History of Bombing.

On: Thursday 10 November at 6.30pm in the Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker: Josu Ugarte (pictured), president of Mondragon International.

Josu Ugarte is an economist by training with a degree from the University of the Basque Country. He has spent his entire professional career within the MONDRAGON Corporation Group, the world's largest industrial workers cooperative. The seventh largest Spain-headquartered corporation and the largest in Spain's Basque region with operations in more than 40 countries and fourteen thousand personnel outside Spain.

This event belongs to the series of lectures 'The Basque Country: modern, socially cohesive and built on collective responsibility'.

On: Wednesday 16 November at 6.30pm at the Royal College of Surgeons, 35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields.

The LSE Strategy and Leadership in Spain series is a collaboration between LSE Enterprise and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.

Jorge Calvet, chairman and CEO of Gamesa - a manufacturing company in the wind farm and wind turbine sector, will give the next public lecture in the series, entitled ‘The Energy Challenge’. It will be chaired by Sonya Dowsett, correspondent for Thomson Reuters in Madrid.

Podcasts of public lectures and events

Is South African Society More Equal Today Than When Apartheid Ended in 1994?
Speaker: Dr Max Price
Recorded: Monday 24 October, approx 83 minutes
Click here to listen

Life After Death: Al-Qaeda and the US war on terror
Speaker: Professor Fawaz Gerges
Recorded: Tuesday 25 October, approx 81 minutes
Click here to listen

Below are some of the vacancies currently being advertised to internal candidates only, as well as those being advertised externally.

• Assistant space planning manager, Estates Division
• Departmental manager (planning and resources), Economics
• Events and reunions manager, ODAR: alumni relations
• Executive LLM programme manager, Law
• Executive programme manager (MSc diplomacy and international strategy), LSE IDEAS
• Foundation partnerships manager, ODAR: major gift fundraising
• LSE100 class teacher, LSE100 The LSE Course
• Lecturer in economics, Economics
• Lectureship in finance, Finance
• MI graduate teaching administrator, Methodology Institute
• Policy analyst - climate change, Grantham Research Institute
• Principal research fellow, Centre for Economic Performance
• Research assistant - econometrics, Grantham Research Institute
• Research fellow, LSE Cities
• Research officer, Social Psychology
• Tenure-track lecturer in political theory, Government

For more information, visit Jobs at LSE and login via the instructions under the 'Internal vacancies' heading.

DEADLINE EXTENDED - Departmental manager (planning and resources), Department of Economics (apply by 23.59 on Wednesday 9 November)
Salary Band 8: from £48,296 to £55,946 per annum, with potential to progress to £62,011 per annum. For more information or to submit an application, click here.

LSE welcomes Phoebe Dunster (pictured) who has joined the Estates Division as the new Capital Development Team secretary.

Nicole wants to hear from you!

Do you have some news, an achievement, or an aspect of LSE life that you would like to share? If so, then I would love to hear from you, contact me at n.gallivan@lse.ac.uk or on ext 7582.

The next edition of Staff News is on Thursday 10 November. Articles for this should be emailed to me by Tuesday 8 November. Staff News is emailed every Thursday during term time and fortnightly during the holidays.