Hall remembers Professor Stuart Ferguson

St Edmund Hall is extremely sad to announce that Emeritus Fellow Professor Stuart Ferguson passed away on Thursday 25 April 2024.

Stuart studied Chemistry at Merton College, progressing to a DPhil also at Merton. Following that, he was the Staines Medical Research Fellow at Exeter College before taking up a lectureship at the University of Birmingham. Stuart later returned to Oxford, taking up a Tutorial Fellowship in the Hall in 1985 where he held the position of William R Miller Tutorial Fellow in Biochemistry. In 1994 he was appointed to an ad hominem Readership and three years later the title of Professor of Biochemistry.

Stuart’s service to science was prodigious, encompassing a considerable research output and editorship of at least three prestigious biochemical journals; he was also awarded the Keilin Medal from the UK Biochemical Society for his work on proteins known as cytochromes. In a Spotlight article to mark Stuart joining the board of FEBS Letters, he commented on his enjoyment of tutorial teaching and the opportunity it presented for give and take as well as for genuine discussion of advanced topics between tutor and students. As colleague and friend Professor Robert Whittaker commented, “This was indicative: Stuart didn’t just teach his students biochemistry, he taught them to think and to think critically, playing a key role in providing the broader education that is Oxford at its best.”

Stuart’s service to the College and University was unstinting and selfless. He represented the Hall in many contexts, in the UK and overseas, and served as Senior Tutor for 14 years, Vice-Principal for six years and, in his final term as Vice-Principal, doubling up as Finance Bursar. Stuart retired to become an Emeritus Fellow in October 2019 but remained an active member of the Senior Common Room.

Stuart will be very much missed and we send our condolences to his family at this incredibly sad time.