It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Emeritus Professor Jack Lewis, Baron Lewis of Newnham, FRS on July 17th 2014.
Jack obtained his PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Nottingham, after which he held positions as a lecturer firstly at the University of Sheffield, then at Imperial College and University College London. He was subsequently a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Manchester, and then at University College London, before coming to Cambridge in 1970. He was also the first Warden of Robinson College, Cambridge.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1973, was knighted in 1982, and was created Baron Lewis of Newnham in 1989. He sat on several Select Committees on Science and Technology in the House of Lords, and he served as Chair of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution. He was also President of the Environmental Industries Commission, and of the National Society for Clean Air and Environmental Protection. The Royal Society awarded him the Davy Medal in 1985, and the Royal Medal in 2004.
Many of us in the Department will remember Jack Lewis as a wonderful colleague, an exceptional mentor, a great scientist and a strong supportor of the Department. Our sympathies go out to Jack's family.