Professor Andrew Gilbert 1939-2014

Tuesday, 10 February 2015

Andrew Gilbert, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, died on the 7 May 2014, aged 75. Although his earlier education had taken place in Leicester and Loughborough, Andrew spent 41 years at the University of Reading. Truly he was a Reading man. He came to the University in 1961 as a PhD student; he was appointed lecturer on 1 September 1965; promoted to Reader on 1 October 1981 and accorded the title of Professor of Photochemistry from 1 October 1992. Andrew chose to stay at Reading even though he was offered several very attractive positions at other universities. He spent his last three years at Reading as Head of Department and retired on 30 September 2002. His contribution to the University, both as a teacher and researcher (and administrator), is attested to by the many tributes which were received after his death.

When he was eleven years old, Andrew won a scholarship to Ashby-de-la-Zouch Grammar School which he attended as a day boy. He left the school in 1955 after he had successfully completed his O-levels. From here, his route into Academia was anything but conventional. He obtained a position with BB Chemicals who were manufacturers of adhesives, especially Bostik. At this time many chemical firms recruited employees after they had completed O-levels and educated them to degree level in collaboration with local further education (FE) colleges. BB Chemicals supported Andrew by granting him day release and he studied at Leicester College of Technology and Commerce for the two year Ordinary National Certificate (ONC) in Chemistry (Inorganic, Organic and Physical), Physics and Mathematics. Doing chemistry at work and studying chemistry at college was not enough for Andrew. His enthusiasm for the subject led him to do experiments at home. These experiments sometimes had unexpected consequences. An attempt by Andrew to produce fuel to propel a model aeroplane fitted with a JET-X motor was successful and the plane moved at great speed. Unfortunately a spark from the plane ignited the store of home-made fuel that was situated under a clothes line and the resulting fire consumed the family washing! [A Google search reveals there is still a need for a new JET-X fuel since ICI ceased production of the original formulation]. In 1957 Andrew obtained his ONC with a distinction in Inorganic Chemistry. With this result the company sponsored Andrew for a further four years of study on a Sandwich Course (six months each of work and study per year). He studied at Loughborough College of Technology, obtaining a First Class College Diploma in July 1961. When, in 1967 Loughborough College of Technology became a University this was converted into a First Class Honours Bachelor of Technology Degree. On 1 October 1961 he was awarded graduate status of the Royal Institute of Chemistry (GRIC). This qualified him for recognition by the research councils to embark on a higher degree.

He applied to the University of Reading to study for a PhD under the supervision of Derek Bryce-Smith, the first Professor of Organic Chemistry at Reading, who, recognising his qualities and his determination, took him on. In those days the Department of Chemistry was situated on the London Road site. Laboratory facilities were best described as primitive. Bryce-Smith's research team was accommodated in a converted bicycle store. Space was limited and after a fire (Andrew was not responsible!) Andrew was granted laboratory space and facilities at the ESSO labs in Abingdon. He made excellent progress so that after two years of professional experience he gained associate status of the RIC (ARIC). In 1964 Andrew was awarded his PhD with the thesis title "The Photochemistry of Benzenoid Compounds and p-Quinones."

Although not fully recognised at the time Andrew's PhD work turned out to be a milestone in the field of Organic Chemistry. The molecule benzene is a fundamental building block of chemistry, but it has the irritating property of being hard to react. Heating it up with other chemicals often didn't work. Bryce-Smith had the inspired idea that maybe shining UV light on it might make it more reactive. Andrew was the person who first did this. And sure enough, it worked. Not only that, but one of the processes they discovered was quite unusual and unexpected. A 1,3-cycloaddition it was called. 1,2- and 1,4- cycloadditions were fairly common, but 1,3- was weird!! The importance of this (published in 1966) turned out to be so great that some 40 years later, the distinguished American Organic Chemist, Paul Wender (Stanford) described it as "one of the five most versatile reactions in synthetic organic chemistry."

The photochemistry of organic compounds remained Andrew's principle research interest throughout his career and he eventually published 157 papers on the subject. Many of these papers are highly cited. As well as these, Andrew published two books "Photochemistry" (with R. B. Cundall) in 1970) and "Essentials of Molecular Photochemistry" (with Jim Baggott in 1991). In 1984 Andrew was awarded the degree of DSc. by the University of Reading on the evidence provided by his many publications in learned journals. For 30 years he wrote an annual report of organic photochemistry for the Royal Society of Chemistry and for the latter part of this was their senior editor on the subject. In 1997 Andrew gained the Photochemistry Prize of the RSC, the highest National award in his field.

Andrew was international in his outlook, being a committee member of the European Photochemistry association. In 1972, he won a scholarship which funded a sabbatical period at the Max Plank Institute in Mulheim. He was also visiting Professor in 1985 with Professor Henri Bouas-Laurent at the University of Bordeaux.

Andrew was a rounded academic. In addition to the research discussed above he played his full part in teaching (both in the classroom and in the lab) and in administration. The nature of his relationship with students, is revealed by the number of past students and post-doctoral workers who attended the Service of Thanksgiving that was held at the Holy Cross Church in Chiseldon of which Andrew was a member. Many of those who could not attend wrote to the family and their letters illustrate the profound influence Andrew had on their lives. Extracts from a few are given below.

"I was Andrew's first PhD student in the new Chemistry Building in Whiteknights Park (1965). Those were exciting and pioneering days and I have always been hugely grateful to Andrew for the care, guidance and friendship he gave me. We had some great times together in the research group and at photochemistry conferences in Europe!"

A BSc student who graduated in 1971 (now a Professor at Penn State) wrote saying that he was not the best student around but Andrew was always gracious to him and humoured him. As a student he was removed from class by the police and accused of having a physical altercation with the vice-chancellor (Sir Harry Pitt). Andrew was the only one who believed the student's claim of innocence and that the attack must have been committed by another student with the same (very unusual) name. Ultimately the student of the same name was found and he confessed! The same student said "Andrew was always ragging me and urging me to give up rowing as it was impinging on my study time. I used to tell him I had more chance of making the Olympics than I had of winning a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Later this proved true, as I went to the Barcelona Olympics as a member of the US Rowing team. About a dozen years back I got to take Andrew and Jennifer into the Steward's Enclosure at Henley, and we had a great day".

A student (BSc 1975, PhD 1978) wrote from Houston, Texas "---A lifelong passion for Organic Chemistry....what an amazing gift to give any one. Andrew's "childlike" enthusiasm for his subject was very, very infectious and I count it a privilege to have worked under his guidance during my PhD. Just recently I had the honour of giving a scientific paper "Frontiers in Oilfield Chemistry" at the Royal Society of Chemistry meeting in Manchester. After the paper I had so many compliments and kind words about the delivery and content. I owe all of this to Andrew---"

Finally a student who also obtained his BSc and PhD at Reading wrote "---I can honestly say that after my close family, he was the person who has helped me the most; both as a friend and mentor and in my professional life. He was a rock that I could always depend on. I certainly wouldn't have finished my PhD without his continued support and encouragement; it was Andrew who got me my first postdoc in France which gave me my first taste of living abroad and started my international career. I shall always remember Andrew as the smiling, enthusiastic, helpful, clever, affable man that he was.---"

Here is part of a letter from one of the retired senior technicians. "I first met Andrew on the old site in London Road so it must have been around 1964/66. I was in the Workshop in those days and Andrew's lab was the Hut/Shed up against the back wall by the car park from Redlands Road. I always found Andrew a very easy person to work with, very down to earth. He would say what the problem was, you would say your piece and then we would both sit down to find a solution that worked and at the end of the day you were still talking to each other".

And here is a section of a letter from an academic colleague. "It was a pleasure to have served under him when he was the Head of Department and having recently completed a term in the same office I am now fully appreciative of the stresses and strains that the HOD role places on an individual. Whilst in office, his management of the Department was conducted in a very even handed way. He was always extremely supportive of staff in the department and nine times out of ten greeted me with a smile on his face (not easy given the nature of the job). I know that he was very much a family man. His family simply came first and above any self-promotion (a trait that academics are unfortunately prone to). He was enormously proud of his family (and quite rightly so). I am so glad that I had the opportunity to get to know and work with Andrew - with his passing the community has lost a great gentleman and scholar."

Andrew was always well supported by his wife Jennifer and their life together was enriched by their children Rachel and Matthew and of course their six grandchildren.

Emeritus Professor David Rice
Emeritus Professor Robin Walsh