Name : Carolyn Roberts. Age: 52 outside, 23 inside. Job: Associate dean, faculty of education, humanities and sciences at Gloucestershire University, and co-director of our centre for excellence in teaching and learning, the Centre for Active Learning in Geography, Environment and Related Disciplines (CeAL).

Education and background : A physical geographer in origin, but with professional qualifications in water resources and a great interest in the pedagogy of higher education. I worked briefly at Exeter University, but have been in Gloucestershire for more years than I care to remember, latterly as head of a large school. For several years I worked part time in academia, running an environmental consultancy alongside.

Working hours : As with most academics today, excessive. Many colleagues are passionate about what we all do, and insomnia makes for interesting e-mail timings. This year I became national chair of the Institution of Environmental Sciences, so I'm pretty busy.

Number of students you teach : I teach classes of between12 and 50, but also individual dissertation students at bachelors, masters and doctoral level.

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More distantly, but equally enjoyably, the CeAL team's work is influencing the learning of hundreds of students in this faculty and beyond.

Biggest challenge this year : Keeping up with the family's ironing.

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Worst moment in university life : Best and worst moments often run closely together. Opening and reading the e-mail confirming our £5 million success in the Higher Education Funding Council for England's Cetl competition was one of the best moments; the waiting time beforehand one of the worst. My 2006 National Teaching Fellowship letter was a good moment, too.

What your office is like : Surrounded by pleasant colleagues, books, ancient scientific kit, family photos.

Do you socialise with people at the university? A long time in the same institution yields many friendships, but my husband and I also have friends in other universities, the local community and elsewhere. There's a big party later this month!

Who are the most difficult people you deal with andhow do you cope with them? I think I'm pretty "difficult" myself, keen to persuade others to share in interesting new enterprises and impatient for changes. I'm aware this can be infuriating.

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