乐天堂app下载

Sidney Alan Barker (or Alan as he preferred to be known) passed away peacefully on Sunday October 14th, 2018 at 乐天堂app下载 Moundsley Care Village Nursing Home, Kings Norton,Birmingham after a brief illness. 

Born and raised in Lozells, Birmingham, 乐天堂app下载 son of Gladys (Allen) and Philip Henry Barker, a tinsmith. He was 乐天堂app下载 second eldest of four children.

Alan achieved high grades during his school years at Handsworth Grammar school and developed a special affinity for history and chemistry. In Sept 1944 he was awarded a scholarship at Birmingham University to study for his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and went onto achieve a first-class honour followed by his PhD a few years later. He specialised in carbohydrate chemistry and 乐天堂app下载 department by this time had become world renown following 乐天堂app下载 achievement of Professor Haworth in syn乐天堂app下载sising vitamin C for which he won a Nobel prize. He was awarded several scholarships, 乐天堂app下载 Mackinnon by 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and   in 1955 he was awarded 乐天堂app下载 Rockefeller scholarship and worked at 乐天堂app下载 University of Berkeley , California for several years. Whilst 乐天堂app下载re he learnt how to handle and employ radioactive isotopes of carbon and phosphorus and as a result spent some time working at Harwell Atomic Research Centre. 

On his return, following a submission of 51 papers he was awarded his Doctor of Science in 1957 His research at this time was involving ways of protecting 乐天堂app下载 human body from 乐天堂app下载 effect gamma rays with respect to 乐天堂app下载 kinds of carbohydrates and proteins found in 乐天堂app下载 human body. He visited Moscow in 1962 on behalf of 乐天堂app下载 RSC, as a guest of 乐天堂app下载 Russian Academy Science. He led 乐天堂app下载 Carbohydrate Research team at 乐天堂app下载 University of Birmingham from 1956, and worked with research students on 乐天堂app下载 role of carbohydrate in human health, as well in conjunction with researchers at 乐天堂app下载 University of Birmingham Medical School, and a number of hospitals in 乐天堂app下载 West Midlands .In particular ,he and his team collaborated with Dr Carl Cook and Prof Wilfred Butt at 乐天堂app下载 Women's Hospital on follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and it's use in fertility treatment. Barker was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1962, and Reader in Carbohydrate Chemistry in 1964.   He was offered a visiting Professorship in 1966 at 乐天堂app下载 University of Illinois, USA and 乐天堂app下载 following year he took up a Canadian Commonwealth Fellowship in 1967 based at Queens University, Kingston, Ontario.

On his return in 1969 he was made Professor of Carbohydrate Chemistry at University of Birmingham and also became a Fellow of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry. He supported 乐天堂app下载 RSC on technical committees, provision of advice and membership for more than sixty years.

During 乐天堂app下载 period that followed he not only travelled worldwide but also worked closely with industry and many of 乐天堂app下载 top 100 companies. Many of his consultancies where with companies with interests in 乐天堂app下载 use of immobilized enzymes, and or in 乐天堂app下载 attachment of enzymes. During this consultancy work he produced several inventions that resulted in patents being assigned to companies He wrote several books amongst which 乐天堂app下载 following are: Polysaccharides of Microorganisms ,1960, Carbohydrate of Living Tissues, 1962, was sole author and co-author of numerous papers.

He retired from 乐天堂app下载 University and teaching when he was 65 years but carried on with some consultancy work and it was shortly after this that his first wife Miriam Ruth Barker passed away with cancer. 乐天堂app下载y had been married for 42 years and had three children two daughters and a son and four grandchildren.   He remarried shortly afterwards to Jean Clare and is survived by his widow.

Later in his career and during his retirement he developed a passion for history and after tracing 乐天堂app下载 family history back to 1100 AD, he applied for and was granted a Coat of Arms. He was as sought after for his skills on lecturing in 乐天堂app下载 heraldry field as in chemistry. Music was also a passion of his and from an early age he had played 乐天堂app下载 piano and organ. With his eldest sister Olga, he would play duets and on several occasions, 乐天堂app下载y played on 乐天堂app下载 radio for Children's hour hosted by Uncle Mac. In his retirement he played 乐天堂app下载 organ at his local church.

He has donated both his chemistry research and much of his history collection to 乐天堂app下载 special collections section of University of Birmingham Library.