My parents were neither wealthy nor academic, but we lived comfortably and they were always extremely supportive of my academic efforts and aspirations, both at school and university.

I was never very good at exams, having a poor memory and finding the examination process rather artificial, and there never seemed to be enough time to follow up things that really interested me.

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

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

I have an idealistic view of science as a liberalising and progressive force for humanity.

How scientists go about their job: and it's a process, it's a question of asking questions, respecting observation, respecting experiment, having tentative explanations and then testing them.... There is a problem sometimes with how we teach science at schools. Because we sometimes teach it as if it has been chiseled in stone.

I was by far the youngest of the family, and at times it was like being an only child.