Derek’s career began in 1980 when he graduated from the University of Leeds. By 1990 he was the Flow Cytometry Facility Manager at the CRUK London Research Institute, which eventually merged with the NIMR to become the Crick. He also setup the Crick’s STP training programme, leading this from 2018 until his retirement in 2023. Throughout his 40 year career, Derek taught thousands of scientists the principles of cytometry, ran countless experiments and served as a mentor and sponsor to many.

Posting on LinkedIn, Derek said:

Absolutely honoured to have received a British Empire Medal in the NY Honours list (this may not mean much to my non-UK connections). The BEM is awarded to those who have contributed at a local level to societal activities - citation was for Training in Life Sciences. This would not have been possible with amazing colleagues (too many to mention without forgetting someone!) over the years but it also represents an acknowledgement of the vital part Core Facilities play in research (and beyond). Without a solid foundation, in my case Cytometry technology and applications, research would move at a much slower pace. Team science is a real thing allowing us to ensure that each generation of scientific researchers is given the right tools at the right time.