Councillor Frieda Warman-Brown has been appointed chair of the education committee at the new Brighton and Hove authority. She has worked for more than 30 years in education, most recently at Hounslow Borough College of Higher Education and Syon School for Boys. Her vice-chairs will be: Pat Hawkes, a primary teacher for 27 years and a former president of the National Union of Teachers, and Simon Charleton, head of sixth form at Thomas Bennett Community College, Crawley.

Peter Thompson, head of education services at British Telecom, has been appointed to the governing body of the Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research for a three-year term.

Dr Joanna Martin, formerly managing director of two joint venture companies providing environmental services to Yorkshire, becomes principal of Kirkley Hall College, Ponteland, Northumberland, in August upon the retirement of Keith Hoskins.

Professor Steve Jones, University College London, is the winner of the Royal Society 1996 Michael Faraday Award, made annually to the scientist who has done most to further public understanding of science in the UK. He has spoken frequently on radio and television, and at schools and educational conferences, about human evolution and variation, race, sex, inherited disease and genetic manipulation.