Secretariat
Ben Woodman, BSc, MSc
Members will be very sorry to learn of the tragic death on 7 October 2013, after a short illness, of Ben Woodman, Scientific Manager in the Faculty of Medicine and Health.
Having graduated in Biological Sciences from the University of Birmingham in 1996, Ben initially took up employment in the insurance industry. However, the lure of a career in science proved too strong and in 1997 he began part-time study for an MSc in Applied Biology at Birkbeck College, which he was awarded with Merit in 1999. In 1998, he was appointed as a Laboratory Scientific Officer in the Neurogenetics Laboratory at King’s College London. He immediately impressed by virtue of his competence, skill and resourcefulness. Promoted on several occasions, he was made a Research Fellow in 2005. In his latter years at King’s he supervised a team of research assistants engaged on a major project pursuing novel therapeutic insights in Huntington’s disease, from which he acquired an impressive publication record. Ben’s expertise, allied to his warm and friendly temperament, earned him the respect and liking of his colleagues in equal measure.
Ben left London for Leeds in 2009 in order to take on the post of Scientific Manager of the St James’s Biomedical Service (SBS), in the Faculty of Medicine and Health. He had day-to-day responsibility for the operation of a newly-refurbished state-of-the-art facility specialising in transgenics and models for cancer and cardiac research. Ben proved himself a considerable acquisition. Drawing on his substantial experience at King’s and deploying his extensive scientific and organisational skills, he ensured that the highest standards obtained in the running of the SBS, and that it was thereby able to provide very effective support for an array of scientific projects. An able and popular mentor and guide to the staff within the SBS, he similarly enjoyed the complete trust and confidence of the many scientific personnel with whom his responsibilities brought him into contact.
In his private life, Ben was a gifted photographer and enjoyed listening to music of many kinds. He also liked to describe himself as a self-appointed home improvement expert.
Ben was married to Andrea, with two sons, Sean and Luke.
The funeral will be held at 11.20am on Monday, 21 October 2013, at Pontefract Crematorium and afterwards at King’s Croft. Donations may be made to the intensive care unit at Pinderfields Hospital.
In Ben’s memory, the flag will be flown at half-mast on the Parkinson Building on Monday.