The Chris Dobson Research Fund for Chemists and Biochemists
LMH Fellow and Tutor in Chemistry 1980 - 2001
Chris was Fellow and Tutor in Chemistry at LMH from 1980 to 2001, and it was with great sadness that we learned of his untimely death in the early autumn of 2019.
Brilliant scientist, pioneering researcher, excellent tutor, wonderful colleague and caring friend. These recollections of Chris Dobson make it clear that his impact on the academic community and the lives of the many he encountered during his extraordinary career in Oxford and Cambridge has been significant.
Chris studied in Oxford and then returned, after a brief stint in the US, to build a successful research group. His lifetime fascination with how proteins fold and why they sometimes misfold to form amyloid deposits has taken him (leading many others) on an incredible journey searching for possible causes, and prevention, of diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
To mark his great contribution to the College, to those he tutored and to celebrate his academic achievements, we now wish to establish the Chris Dobson Research Fund in his memory to ensure his legacy and research interests remain an active and vibrant part of the College’s present and future academic vision.
We invite you to make a gift towards this Fund.
Our aim is to raise at least £350,000 to support a generation of Junior Research Fellows and DPhil students at LMH to focus on researching the areas which Chris was so passionate about, namely biomolecular NMR spectroscopy; the structure, function and dynamics of proteins; the process of protein folding and misfolding and their role in diseases. Research in these fields is largely undertaken in Oxford by academics working in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Departments.
Read more on Chris’ many academic achievements and his time in Oxford and at LMH.
The College is planning to host a symposium weekend to celebrate Chris’ work once COVID restrictions permit. If you would be interested in hearing more about this, please email development@lmh.ox.ac.uk.
LMH is most grateful for the support of LMH alumna Dr Karen Cleaver (Topping, Chemistry 1981, who was taught by Chris and was then a graduate student in his Group) and Professor Christina Redfield (who was a JRF at LMH and long-standing member of Chris’ Oxford research team), whose idea it was to launch this exciting appeal to further research at LMH in Chris’ name.
If you would like further information or wish to discuss your gift to the Chris Dobson Research Fund (including advice on how to donate in the most tax efficient way), please contact Deputy Development Director, Carrie Scott. Please note that gifts can be made as lump sums, or regular direct debit gifts (monthly/quarterly/annually) and can be one-off or a multi-year pledge.
