During the winter my attention was attracted to the changes in the stars and planets in the sky.

My main efforts focussed on trying to identify the rate controlling steps during the cell cycle. Crucial for this analysis were wee mutants that were advanced prematurely through the cell cycle and so divided at a reduced cell size.

During the winter my attention was attracted to the changes in the stars and planets in the sky.

At age 11 in 1960, I moved to an academic state secondary school, Harrow County Grammar School for Boys.

Better understanding of the natural world not only enhances all of us as human beings, but can also be harnessed for the better good, leading to improved health and quality of life.

I think it was this curiosity about the natural world which awoke my early interest in science.

It has been a privilege to pursue knowledge for its own sake and to see how it might help mankind in more practical ways.