My friend and colleague Chris Walton, who has died aged 69 of brain cancer, was a biologist and lecturer at Cranfield University, Bedfordshire. He had a passion for getting things to work in the real world; consequently he was widely regarded by his colleagues as an honorary engineer.
Chris studied volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in matrices including breath, sweat, blood, urine and faeces, finding links between specific VOCs and different human diseases, and developing new ways to measure them. He also worked on environmental sensors, including low-cost networks of air-quality monitors. Chris’s pragmatic side was invaluable: his approach to sensor installation involved a quick trip to B&Q, a fencepost and a hammer. This pragmatism extended to his role as a longsuffering admissions tutor for the environmental engineering MSc, amusing those around him with a barrage of under-his-breath comments. Chris often deployed humour when describing his work, for instance using the Bristol stool chart (which describes the consistency of human stool) and 3D poo emojis.
