Comments on: FOIA reply: it’s a good job that Teesside University didn’t offer Holford a visiting professorship for financial reasons…

By: FOIA reply: what work did Holford do for Teesside University? « Holford Watch: Patrick Holford, nutritionism and bad science

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:42:55 +0000

[...] that Teesside only got a rather disappointing total of £592.03 in funding from Food for the Brain, and do not appear to have got much in the way of work from Holford, one wonders what they have [...]

By: dvnutrix

dvnutrix — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:59:00 +0000

It is remarkably dispiriting, isn't it? As some quotation on Language Log said, on a different topic and in a different context: it is a classic example of a "self-invented expert engaged in relentless self-promotion".

By: Mark Etherton

Mark Etherton — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:06:25 +0000

Is this really the entire case for Holford being offered a Visiting Professorship? Quite apart from whoever put it together having a pretty shaky grasp of English (in the first para alone ‘affects’ instead of ‘effects’ while ‘an international reputation in terms of nutrition and mental health’ is both clumsy and obscure), it’s remarkably thin. There’s also a clear statement that £12,500 pa is coming: doesn’t this means that Teesside professorships are for sale? I suppose it’s a tribute to Holford’s business acumen that he managed to get a £11,907.93 discount.

By: jonhw

jonhw — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:28:15 +0000

Of course, there was also mention of the work Holford was going to do at Teesside. More on that another day, though.

By: Wulfstan

Wulfstan — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:57:34 +0000

I know that you’ve covered the fact that no search committee was involved. It looks like a Teesside academic put together a case for support and a conferment committee agreed but Teesside should be looking at whoever put together the case and gave them such over-optimistic financial or other forecasts.

By: gimpy

gimpy — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:22:34 +0000

Hmmm, did Mr Holford renege on any financial deal, I wonder? £592.03 seems a little cheap to be selling Visiting Professorships. I could almost afford one at that price.