We are sad to report that after a three-year battle with illness, our former DPAG colleague Dr Duncan Campbell passed away on Saturday 9 August. The department would like to extend its condolences to Duncan’s family and friends.
Duncan was born in Helensburgh, Scotland, in 1954. In 1971, he began his studies at Glasgow University, completing his first degree before moving to Aberdeen in 1975 to pursue his PhD.
In 1978, Duncan and his wife Jeannie moved to Oxford, where he undertook postdoctoral research with the late Professor Rodney Porter, a Nobel Laureate. Two years later, he accepted a senior scientist position at the MRC Immunochemistry Unit, within the Department of Biochemistry, where he forged lifelong friendships with many colleagues. His research was focussed on the detailed molecular and genetic characterisation of the human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class 111 region and the functional characterisation of novel gene products within that region. His work flourished, and he thrived in a field that allowed him to contribute to pioneering research in genomics and genetics.
In 1998, the MRC invited Duncan to become Director of one of their units on the Genome Campus at Hinxton, Cambridge — a role he embraced for its extraordinary scientific challenge. Over the next seven years, during the height of the Human Genome Project, Duncan met many remarkable people, from Princess Anne, who opened the campus in 1999, to politicians, ambassadors, and leading scientists from around the world.
When the MRC decided to close the unit in 2005, Duncan returned to Oxford to set up a small group in the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, focusing on one of the discoveries made at Hinxton. In the final six years of his scientific career, he returned to research on blood clotting.
Duncan retired in 2012, turning his energy to tennis, family holidays, and the many friendships he cherished.
Duncan leaves behind his wife Jeannie, their sons Colin and Jonathan and daughters-in-law Cherie and Myfanwy, and five adored grandchildren — Kane, Matilda, Archie, Kiera, and Delilah — who brought him immeasurable joy.
Former Head of Department Professor Kay Davies says, 'Duncan made many contributions to the human genome mapping efforts in the early days particularly through this leadership of the MRC HGMP at Hinton where I first met him. I was fortunate to work alongside him when he moved to DPAG. Duncan was a generous leader and a valued colleague. We shall miss him.'