Some personal memories of Professor Sir John Cornforth

I was deeply saddened to hear the news of the passing of a former colleague, Sir John Cornforth at 96. I first met, Sir John, known to all as Kappa in 1993 when I joined the faculty at the School of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences in Sussex. I thought I had seen the "great man" in a lab coat in the audience at my job interview, but not had a chance to meet him. And luckily he had not asked one of those deceptively simple questions!

Why higher education is this country’s secret industrial powerhouse

Published in CityAM

When considering the powerhouses of the British economy, most people’s minds flick to the City, or perhaps pharmaceuticals or retail. Yet it’s British universities – the envy of the world – which have the potential to save the British economy.

Higher education is the UK’s secret industrial powerhouse. UniversitiesUK suggests that our universities are responsible for generating 650,000 jobs, and contribute £60bn to UK GDP. In London alone, our international students are estimated to support over 100,000 jobs – roughly one per student.