Dr Penny Chaloner, an invaluable member of the Chemistry Department at the University of Sussex for 27 years, sadly passed away in her sleep at the age of 69 on 28 October 2022.

Penny was born in Preston in 1953. Known for her fierce intellect from an early age, she won a scholarship to study Natural Sciences at Cambridge University. At Cambridge she achieved the highest marks of the year in the Chemistry tripos of 1973. She then went on to complete her PhD on Coordination Catalysis three years later.

In 1976, she moved to Oxford University, where she was awarded a Research Fellowship at St Hugh’s. Two years later, she became the first woman Senior Member of Christ Church on a three-year appointment. Between 1981 and 1983, she taught at Rutgers in the United States. In 1983 she joined the University of Sussex, where she spent the rest of her career as a member of the Chemistry department, continuing to be a pioneering and positive role model.

Penny was a kind, thoughtful, creative, and inspirational colleague at Sussex. She was also a passionate and highly skilled educator. Sussex Chemistry, and the University more widely, benefited from her innovative and entrepreneurial ability to design and develop new student-focused opportunities. These included an international summer school, “Sussex in September” for USA students, a Pre-Med course based in the School of Life Sciences, and an MChem/BSc Chemistry with Forensic Science course.

In all these ventures she worked closely with arts and science colleagues from across the University and was also well-known through her significant contributions on Senate. She also contributed significantly outside of Sussex, serving as Preston’s Lady Mayoress, when her mother was Mayor of the town in 1983-84.

Penny’s breadth and depth of knowledge and strong opinions were formidable, and she was always willing to speak her mind. Her savvy understanding of politics and education played an integral part in the campaign to save Chemistry in 2006, which resulted in a Science and Technology Select Committee, that halted the spate of Chemistry department closures in the UK. In 2010 she took early retirement and in 2014 she produced a textbook ‘Organic Chemistry: a Mechanistic Approach’, building on her wealth of experience and her student-focused approach to teaching and learning.

Penny was a brilliant scientist, innovative educator, and a generous friend. We remember fondly the fun and stimulating discussions late into the evening over a glass of excellent red wine and her love of opera at Glyndebourne. She will be greatly missed.

Penny’s funeral will take place at 11.00 am on 22 November at St Andrew’s Church in Cottam, near Preston.

Author: Professor Hazel Cox

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