Page 29 - Periodic ISSUE 8

F rom the PCL

to Pyongyang

Oxford Chemistry alumnus Professor Ian NHS Clinical Biochemistry laboratories in the 1970s
Wells (Worcester 1965) describes his employed both chemists and biochemists and almost Ian and his wife Helen walking on the Antarctic mainland Ian and Helen at Pyongyang Friendship Hospital.
extraordinary career. all the assays were developed in-house. My early in February 2013.
work was setting up and running assays, mainly
I really enjoyed my chemistry studies at Oxford using spectrophotometry, and included getting a invented when we graduated, we decided to take a We worked at PUST for six years until we retired
(1965-69) - although I was most comfortable with new continuous flow analyser to work properly! This ‘senior version’ and indulge our passion for travelling (again!) in 2018, and later that year three PUST
physical chemistry, better at analysis than synthesis involved teaching myself Wang Basic to re-write the to remote places. Our goal was ‘pole to pole’ and we graduate students came to study at the University of
and much preferred spending time at a laboratory computer programme used to convert the analog duly crossed both 80ºN, reaching Moffen Island which Surrey for six months. Shortly before they returned
bench to studying for exams! My tutor and mentor output into results and led to my first conference is ‘the end of the earth’ for Europe and Asia, and 68ºS home they spent a memorable day in Oxford which
was Dr John Danby, and I especially recall one tutorial paper. after negotiating Drake’s Passage and walking on the included a tour of the new Chemistry Teaching
when he demonstrated how to decode a puzzle In 1980 I moved from Epsom to the Guildford Antarctic mainland. In addition to polar bears and Laboratories - they later said this was one of the
using a perspex rod.* My ‘part two’ was in his PCL Hospitals and laboratory computing gradually took penguins the third ‘P’ for the year was Pyongyang, highlights of their time here. The DPRK authorities
mass spectrometry research group working on a new over most of my time. I was also able to study on the capital of DPR (North) Korea, where I had been are keen for more graduate and research students
monopole radio-frequency mass spectrometer which day release for a PhD in the medical applications of invited to give a series of lectures on AI at the English- to spend time in the UK and we are hoping that
had been built by the technical staff in the basement. Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the local University of speaking Pyongyang University of Science and some may indeed find suitable placements at Oxford
This was a wonderful introduction to problem solving Surrey where I was its first ever computer science Technology (PUST). Chemistry.
and ‘getting things to work’ which I have been able to student. As analysers became smarter and were Despite the practical challenges, we did not hesitate Looking back over the years I never strayed
draw on ever since. able to calculate their own results my focus changed when we were invited to join the long term staff at too far from chemistry, although my work as a
to interfacing (not as easy as it sounds in those clinical scientist moved from performing assays to
After graduating I started my career as an industrial PUST and to use our skills to help the people of this
chemist in electrochemistry and photochemistry. In days!), networking and developing clinical laboratory needy but hauntingly beautiful and friendly country. devising systems for the storage, distribution and
1976 I joined the NHS as a clinical scientist - my wife information systems using advanced software tools. Initially we were both lecturing, and then in 2015 interpretation of the results. One of my responsibilities
Helen had made a similar move the previous year I was fortunate to be a pioneer in this new field and we were invited to become directors of the new at PUST was setting up a small clinical laboratory on
into NHS administration - as we both wanted to take was able to publish a number of papers and lecture at medical school being established on the PUST campus. the campus - so my career actually came full circle
relevant skills overseas to a needy country at some conferences in the UK, Europe and the US. This was a wonderful opportunity to put our NHS and ended, where it began, with practical bench
point in the future. In the mid-1990s I moved to the Medical Physics experience to good use, visit local hospitals and attend chemistry!
department to lead a medical computing section weekly UN Development Programme meetings. Professor Ian Wells
Getting a continuous flow analyser to work properly.
developing clinical databases and setting up
large scale cluster computing and storage Ian lecturing to third year science undergraduates at PUST.
systems for digital images. I was also invited
back to the University of Surrey as a part-
time lecturer in Artificial Intelligence where
I was able to draw on both my PhD research
and my experience in medical decision making.
I was subsequently appointed a Visiting * I still use this example in my AI lectures - so
Professor in 2005 and then an Emeritus here is your challenge: what is the problem
Professor in 2014. and the solution? The clues are in the text
and you need to use capital letters and
My wife and I both retired at the end of 2011 colours for the problem.
after working for almost 70 years between us
in the NHS and, as the gap year had not been

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