globe. Ken loved international food, as long as it was no longer alive, but hated
green food: salads. He particularly loved sweets and puddings.
During an interview for a scientific position, Ken would normally ask you about
your favourite book, movie, or music band. If you applied for a clerical position, he
would normally ask “the 50-pence” question: what this coin was made out of and
why, why it had several edges (basically it was not just round), and then he would
observe how stress would get hold of the candidate. He would be very happy to
learn new information: for instance, one of the QUILL Ph.D. students was hired
because her knowledge of Icelandic rock was better than Ken’s.
Ken was also an enthusiastic appreciator of the latest technology and gadgets
of the time: phones, cameras, e-books, Kindles, Alexa, and various software that
could make his life easier and that could copy his life from one device to another
within a minimum of fuss. Every time Ken received a message, his work computer
announced, “Captain, you’ve got an incoming message”, a reference to Star Trek of
which he was a great fan.
Apart from chemistry, Ken loved literature, art, sculpture (he was especially fond
of gargoyles since his time at Oxford), theatre, music, and photography. Ken’s
tastes were so broad that if you went to a concert with him, you could be rubbing
shoulders with pink-haired students or pompous opera lovers.
He could not drink alcohol because of a violent allergic reaction. A couple of
accidental encounters for instance, when the apple juice was off almost finished
him, so he was always very careful and used his colleagues as experimental rats to
check if in doubt.
Ken was very involved with his friends and colleagues. He would remember
their birthdays and often would come up with original presents, chocolates from all
over the world or cheeses from a quirky cheesery in Liverpool. He would keep in
touch with many of his ex-students and staff. He would try to help you with
anything and gave very good advice.
Some of Ken’s distinctive characteristics included a gargantuan laugh, positivity,
a large collection of artistic ties depicting chemistry and mythical creatures, sidelocks à la Charles Dickens, and long nails inspired by Fu Manchu, a favourite of his
childhood reading (he said they let him pick up dry ice, at −78 degrees).
Ken was brilliant teacher to multiple students in different universities and
companies, although he personally did not regard teaching, as it was
time-consuming and repetitive. Ken hated repetition. He mentioned that he would
not be able to play musical instruments because it was like repetitive teaching and
prevented him from concentrating on research and travelling in pursuit of new
QUILL members.
Once I gave a lecture about Ken at a conference, and I was approached by a
professor who told me that in the past he had cancer, but his country did not
produce the drug he needed. Once Ken found out about this, he brought a full bag
of the drug and this professor recovered.
xiv
Dedication to Prof. Kenneth “Ken” Richard Seddon
green food: salads. He particularly loved sweets and puddings.
During an interview for a scientific position, Ken would normally ask you about
your favourite book, movie, or music band. If you applied for a clerical position, he
would normally ask “the 50-pence” question: what this coin was made out of and
why, why it had several edges (basically it was not just round), and then he would
observe how stress would get hold of the candidate. He would be very happy to
learn new information: for instance, one of the QUILL Ph.D. students was hired
because her knowledge of Icelandic rock was better than Ken’s.
Ken was also an enthusiastic appreciator of the latest technology and gadgets
of the time: phones, cameras, e-books, Kindles, Alexa, and various software that
could make his life easier and that could copy his life from one device to another
within a minimum of fuss. Every time Ken received a message, his work computer
announced, “Captain, you’ve got an incoming message”, a reference to Star Trek of
which he was a great fan.
Apart from chemistry, Ken loved literature, art, sculpture (he was especially fond
of gargoyles since his time at Oxford), theatre, music, and photography. Ken’s
tastes were so broad that if you went to a concert with him, you could be rubbing
shoulders with pink-haired students or pompous opera lovers.
He could not drink alcohol because of a violent allergic reaction. A couple of
accidental encounters for instance, when the apple juice was off almost finished
him, so he was always very careful and used his colleagues as experimental rats to
check if in doubt.
Ken was very involved with his friends and colleagues. He would remember
their birthdays and often would come up with original presents, chocolates from all
over the world or cheeses from a quirky cheesery in Liverpool. He would keep in
touch with many of his ex-students and staff. He would try to help you with
anything and gave very good advice.
Some of Ken’s distinctive characteristics included a gargantuan laugh, positivity,
a large collection of artistic ties depicting chemistry and mythical creatures, sidelocks à la Charles Dickens, and long nails inspired by Fu Manchu, a favourite of his
childhood reading (he said they let him pick up dry ice, at −78 degrees).
Ken was brilliant teacher to multiple students in different universities and
companies, although he personally did not regard teaching, as it was
time-consuming and repetitive. Ken hated repetition. He mentioned that he would
not be able to play musical instruments because it was like repetitive teaching and
prevented him from concentrating on research and travelling in pursuit of new
QUILL members.
Once I gave a lecture about Ken at a conference, and I was approached by a
professor who told me that in the past he had cancer, but his country did not
produce the drug he needed. Once Ken found out about this, he brought a full bag
of the drug and this professor recovered.
xiv
Dedication to Prof. Kenneth “Ken” Richard Seddon