TWO men have been appointed to top posts by Huddersfield University.

Gerry Rice has been appointed the associate dean (planning and resources) in the School of Human and Health Sciences following Dr Dallas Cliff's retirement in the summer.

And Prof Yau Jim Yip joins the university as the new dean of the School of Computing and Engineering. He was previously director of the School of Computing at Teesside University.

Mr Rice was born in Huddersfield and attended All Saints' Comprehensive School, Bradley Bar, and Huddersfield Technical College, before graduating in applied social studies and later gaining a master's degree in social and community work studies from Bradford University.

He became a social worker and worked with young people leaving the care system and young homeless offenders. He helped set up the alcohol project Unit 51 in Huddersfield - now part of the Lifeline organisation - before moving to the Bridge Project in Bradford, where he worked with parents who used drugs, and their children.

He is a supporter of Huddersfield Town Football Club.

Yau Jim Yip's academic career has focused on artificial intelligence and knowledge-based computer systems.

Originally from Hong Kong, he graduated with first-class honours in mechanical engineering from Manchester University, where he received two awards for coming top of his class. A research scholarship and overseas research student award culminated in him gaining his PhD in transient thermal stress analysis in 1984.

As well as being an external examiner for eight institutions, he is a council member for the British Computer Society, and a committee member on the Council of Professors and Heads of Computing and on the International Quality Assurance Board for the LimKokWing University College of Creative Technology in Malaysia.