The Department is saddened to hear of Dr Ron Broom's death earlier this month.  

Ron Broom retired from his work as a semiconductor device scientist at IBM and came to live in Cambridge with his wife Davida. But retirement was not for him! Every day for many years, he came to the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy in the University of Cambridge to work, totally unpaid, as a Distinguished Research Fellow. Initially, he joined the Electron Microscopy Group, where he built unique specimen stages which enabled specimens to be observed in an electron microscope when an electric current was passed through them. So transistor structures could be imaged at atomic resolution under operating conditions. Ron constructed these intricate specimen stages at home in his garage, which he had turned into a workshop containing watchmakers' lathes etc. for extremely fine and detailed work, often performed with the aid of magnifying lenses. In this home workshop he also made a harpsichord, a violin and an amazing clock in which he constructed every part himself, including all the gear wheels and every screw.

In 1995, Ron joined the group of Professor Colin Humphreys, again unpaid. Here he helped supervise research students, assisting them in designing their experiments, interpreting their results, writing papers and preparing their theses. A number of research students owe the award of their Ph.D to all the patient help that Ron gave them! Ron is a co-author of a number of important papers from the research group.

Ron was extremely helpful and was generous with his time to many research students and staff. We all greatly admired him and respected him. I owe him a huge thank you for helping so many research students and for helping me a lot personally. He will be greatly missed and long remembered by me and the many people he helped.

Written by Prof Sir Colin Humphreys (former Goldsmiths' Professor of Materials Science, Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy).