Dr Malcolm N Jones obituary
14 October 1936 – 22 June 2023
Dr Malcolm Norcliffe Jones (Malcolm) was born in Heald Green, Stockport on 14 October 1936. He gained his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Manchester in 1962. Prior to that in 1957 he had received the Woodiwis Prize in Chemistry from the University during his undergraduate degree and in 1959 graduated with a first-class degree.
Malcolm spent post-doctoral time abroad at the Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles with Professor K.J. Mysels (as a Fulbright Scholar) and at the Institute of Physical Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia with Dr D. Exerova and Professor A. Sheludko. During these periods, his focus of research was colloid chemistry.
On returning to Manchester, Malcolm took up an assistant lectureship in Chemistry at the University. His main area of expertise was biophysical chemistry and to quote from a recent departmental obituary “Over the next four decades he became the rock on which teaching and research in this area were built in Manchester.”
In 1978, Malcolm was awarded a DSc. and in 1981 was appointed Reader in Physical Biochemistry by the University. His research focused on polymer science, thermodynamic studies of surfactant-protein interactions, and engineered targeting of lipid vesicles/liposomes to bio-surfaces and membrane transport systems.
Malcolm was a prolific contributor to scientific literature, and he published numerous original research papers in scientific journals, and several authored books with edited books and reviews.
He had successful collaborations both with industry (Unilever Research Laboratories) and international academic groups. His most fruitful collaborations were with Spanish Universities, the University of Santiago De Compostela (Professor M.I. Paz Andrade) and Universidad Autónoma De Madrid (Professor M.D. Reboiras). The value placed on such collaborations by the University of Santiago De Compostela was recognised by the award of the prestigious “Insignia Del Oro” to Malcolm in 2001.
Malcolm retired in 2001 and spent a long and happy retirement with his family. During this time, he pursued his hobbies of gardening, music and genealogy. In relation to the latter, he leaves behind a body of work in this field.
During his career, Malcolm was a member of several scientific societies. In relation to the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), he became a member of its forerunners the Chemical Society in 1960 and was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chemistry in 1977. He became a Life Member of the RSC in 2011.
Malcolm’s death on 22 June 2023 has elicited many tributes from contacts both in the UK and internationally. He is survived by his wife of over 60 years, Janet Elizabeth, two daughters Caroline Norcliffe McCubbin and Elizabeth Norcliffe Rodgers and grandson Patrick Thomas Norcliffe McCubbin.
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