Chris Walton obituary – The Guardian

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.
Chris was also active in the University and College Union, and earned a reputation for speaking truth to power, helped by his pride of being a northerner in the south.
Born and raised in Batley, West Yorkshire, to Dorothy (nee Gibson), a housewife, and Jack, a carpet factory worker, Chris went to Batley grammar school. He was the first in his family to attend university, graduating from Leicester University with a degree in biology in 1978, followed by an MSc in biological computation at York University. At Coventry University, he completed a PhD and further research on cardiac pacemakers and electrophysiology. He then moved to Imperial College London for 10 years as a lecturer in human metabolism.
In 1998 Chris joined EDS, an IT service provider, rising to become leader of an IT support team for the Inland Revenue. After five years he decided to get back into science by completing an MSc in medical diagnostics at Cranfield University.
I met Chris at Cranfield, where after his master’s he became a lecturer in analytical technology. Chris was always sympathetic to students and was the “glue” in the group, dispensing wise advice to younger colleagues.
He had met Sue Lloyd at Leicester and they married in 1978, later having a daughter, Elizabeth. Chris enjoyed doing the school runs and making his famous “Dad mash” and sausages for the family. Following Chris and Sue’s divorce in 2010, Chris found love again, meeting his partner Lorraine Morgan in 2019.
He retired from his day job in June 2025 but continued to contribute as a visiting fellow. He was still active in this work when he was diagnosed with brain cancer at the end of last year.
He is survived by Lorraine and Elizabeth.

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