In Memory of
Professor Wilson Sibbett CBE FRS FRSE
A pioneer of ultra-fast lasers, interdisciplinary research, and a giant of Scotland’s scientific community, Wilson was a globally respected scientist.
To all who had the pleasure of working with or being taught by him, Wilson was a continuously supportive, encouraging, and welcoming colleague who had a significant effect amongst a generation of scientists and whose technological achievements have played a major role in shaping the world we live in today.
Colleague, collaborator, mentor, and friend; Wilson will be greatly missed and fondly remembered.
Book Owner: School of Physics and Astronomy
Book Size:Â 500 Messages
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Alan Miller
Wilson was a great friend and colleague for many years and had a huge influence on my life. I first met Wilson in an airport lounge on the way to IQEC’82 in Munich, a time when he was rapidly establishing a global reputation in ultra-fast laser technologies. His open, friendly and jovial personality was infectious. We built our first collaborations through joint ‘CASE’ studentships while I was at RSRE Malvern and later at CREOL in Florida. Wilson was generous in early sharing of the details of ‘magic mode-locking’ with my group at CREOL. In 1992 we arranged a summer holiday house swap between Orlando and St Andrews. Given that we both had three daughters in the same age range, combined with the attractiveness of the two locations, this was a great match! While planning the details of the house swap over dinner at IQEC’92, in Vienna, Wilson popped the question whether I might be interested in the coming vacancy of chair of seminductor physics at St Andrews. For many reasons, especially being a Fifer, there was no way that I could resist, and my family was delighted to return home to Scotland! Wilson was one of a kind and…
Karen Ness
I first met Wilson in 1980 when I was a student on the Applied Optics MSc at Imperial College and he taught us laser physics. My interest in the field had already been sparked and Wilson’s teaching served only to encourage my enthusiasm. Extending the scope of CO2 TEA and COFFEE lasers (I don’t think my memory is deceiving me on those acronyms), at the end of the course we built him a GUINNESS laser – a Gain Under Intoxication Nuclearly Excited Sibbett System – comprising a bottle of the dark stuff plus cavity mirrors mounted on an optical rail. Unsurprisingly minus the pumping system! I then did my PhD in the other half of the Imperial laser group supervised by Wilson’s colleague Henry Hutchinson, and eventually returned to Scotland to work in economic development. By that time Wilson was at St Andrews and our paths crossed quite regularly especially when I was working with Alastair Wilson at Scottish Enterprise in the early days of the Scottish Optoelectronics Association (now Photonics Scotland). I then joined the nascent Institute of Photonics at Strathclyde and it is only in the last few days that I have learned of Wilson’s role in…
Alastair Wilson
I was very sad to learn of the recent passing of Professor Wilson Sibbett. Wilson and I have known each other since 1969 when we were physics undergraduates at Queens University, Belfast. Little did I realise what an outstanding scientist and educator he would become. As postgrads I can still recall going to the Great Hall of Queens for daily coffee and Wilson entertaining us with his humour and “craic”. Wilson then transferred to Imperial College to complete his Ph.D. under the supervision of the renowned laser physicist, Professor Dan Bradley. I had moved to a company in Scotland and several years later Wilson also came to Scotland on being appointed Professor of Physics at St. Andrews. We met on a number of occasions but I really appreciated the talents of Wilson when I was appointed Head of Photonics at Scottish Enterprise, Scotland’s principle economic development agency. When I was planning the establishment of the Scottish Optoelectronics Association (now called Photonics Scotland) he agreed to be one of the founding Council members and gave the Association valued insights as to how photonics could be of value to society. Wilson was also instrumental in setting up the Photonics Innovation Centre…
David Heron
I knew what an incredibly accomplished scientist he was and yet the thing I remember most is how he was always lovely and smiling to me as an undergraduate whenever we met. That’s what will stick with me. Thank you Wilson….
Allister Ferguson
I first met Wilson almost exactly 50 years ago when I started my doctoral studies at Imperial College in September 1974. Wilson was an early stage post-doctoral researcher working mostly on streak cameras. The first thing that struck me about Wilson was his generosity of spirit, his great sense of humour and his willingness to engage with and help others. He was happy to help out this raw graduate by demonstrating some basic skills but more importantly demonstrating what it was to be a great researcher and teacher. Although Wilson and I never published together we did get involved in a number of projects. We worked on the establishment of the Scottish Optoelectronics Association (now Photonics Scotland) and Wilson was a key member of the Executive Committee of SU2P, a collaboration between St. Andrews, Heriot Watt, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Strathclyde universities with Stanford and Caltech in California. Wilson hosted several of the Entrepreneurial Fellows and provided support and guidance to all who participated. Many of my closest colleagues have been trained and mentored by Wilson. Wilson was a remarkable man with interests in farming, golf and many other areas way beyond physics. He has been a huge figure providing…
Deb Kane
I never worked with Professor Wilson Sibbett but I got to have several conversations with him at conferences and when visiting University of St Andrews as an alumnus. I finished my PhD, supervised by Professor Malcolm Dunn, before Wilson became Head of School. But, I saw the amazing pick up in Malcolm’s career enabled by Wilson’s arrival. The warm, thoughtful and appreciative contributions to this remembrance book speak to his excellence in mentoring and guiding talented students and early career researchers. But being someone who did the same for colleagues is quite rare in my experience, and it impressed from afar. He really did an incredible job at building the scale and reputation of activity in the School of Physics at St Andrews. The last time I talked with Wilson was at the Tribute session held at The School of Physics and Astronomy for professors who had passed away during COVID times. Wilson was there to pay tribute to Malcolm. He spoke eloquently, off the cuff, not a note in sight. An amazing speaker. Someone who had a direct line for the right words from brain to mouth. Rare skills. Everyone can get a taste of that from reading…
Christopher Leburn
I was lucky enough to be in Lecture Theatre A on the 10th March 1997 where Prof. Wilson Sibbett opened my eyes to laser physics. I was hooked! Four years later I had the privilege of joining his research group. His support and encouragement made it easy to work for many hours in a windowless laser lab. Wilson was also a strong supporter of personal development outside the lab. He had me presenting at international conferences in a kilt(!) and gave me my first opportunity to lecture in the department. I look back at those years with much fondness. When starting my own laser company, I turned to Wilson again for advice. He was always happy to oblige, just as long as it involved a lunch at the R&A clubhouse – who was I to turn that opportunity down?! It was easy to see how he took joy in seeing others grow. He played an important part in my life, and for that I will be forever grateful. I will miss him, and no doubt think of him often….
Richard Penty
I first met Wilson in the early 1990s as a newly minted lectuerer in Ian White’s group in Bath. Wilson and Ian were great friends with their Northern Ireland connections and came up with a programme looking at all-optical switching in semiconductors waveguides. I, and other members of the group, would often make the rather lunatic (often overnight) road trip from Bath and later Bristol up to St Andrews where Wilson was very generous with time on his ultrafast laser systems and pulse measurement equipment. We had a great time probing the nonlinearites of quantum well waveguides and then latterly worked on the “large project” that Tom Brown mentions which focussed on the use of ultrashort pulses in communications. As all others mention, Wilson was always very generous with his advice and mentorship and was never too busy, despite being Head of Department, to talk through the experiments and to have an encouraging coffee with you when things weren’t going quite to plan. I learned a lot from him on how to treat and encourage people. He has been an example to many in the field and I’m sure through them and their students his legacy will live on. …
Miles Padgett
Like for many Wilson was my mentor; for physics, for life and indeed for golf too. Once when I thanked him for his support he told me I could pay him back by offering my own support to the careers of the generation after me. Let us all remember to do just that. Thank you Wilson x…
Steve Adrain
I first met Wilson when he was a demonstrator and PhD student at Queen’s University Belfast. Wilson, myself and a number of PhD students then moved with Dan Bradley’s Group to Imperial College and we lived together for a while on Dundunold Rd, Kensal Rise. I have many fond memories of Wilson, his intelligence, his pioneering of Streak Cameras and ultra-short pulse physics. Most of all I remember the lunchtime walks in Botanic Gardens when we were young and his humour and wit. He always had a sparkle in his eye. He lived a worthwhile life and will live fondly in the memories of his many friends and colleagues, of which I am proud to have been one. …
John-Mark Hopkins
From the moment Wilson walked into our first year Physics Advances lecture in 1991 with his infectious grin and conspiratorial glint in his eye, we knew this was going to be something different. Four years, and the offer of a place in his group later, was where the adventure really began, and I got to know the friendly, enthusiastic and fatherly researcher he was. At a time in his career when most students weren’t comfortable with him reaching for the adjusters to help “squeeze out a couple more milliwatts” It was an absolute privilege one night, when Bill Sleat and I were struggling with setting up a mothballed streak tube, to see Wilson take off his jacket, roll up his sleeves and within a matter of minutes bring a system back to life and grab a result. The grin was the widest I had seen. I have been blessed to have been shown how to do science collaboratively and cooperatively through a network of colleagues who have been part of, and adopted his mantle of ‘top science’ done well for the benefit of all. What a ‘winning’ legacy. God Speed boss….
Nikolaus Metzger
I am heartbroken by the loss of Professor Wilson Sibbett, a mentor and visionary whose guidance and encouragement shaped my career and fuelled my passion for ultrafast laser technology. I owe so much to his support, which paved the way for me to build my own ultrafast laser company, a path I would not have achieved without his support and faith in my work. One of my fondest memories from my time at St. Andrews was the incredible humbling experience of rebuilding the first-ever magic-modelocked Ti:Sa laser (called Wilson1) during my PhD. As his PostDoc, Professor Sibbett’s mentorship, sparked ideas that would become great publications and formed the foundational to my own work and career. His curiosity, patience, and support were unmatched. Professor Sibbett’s passing is a profound loss to the world of science and to all of us privileged to know him. He leaves behind a legacy not only of groundbreaking work but of compassion, kindness, and true dedication to his students and colleagues….
Professor Graham Wren
I was deeply saddened to hear of Wilson’s untimely death. I knew him from 2000 through his role in setting up and chairing of the Scottish Science Advisory Council. Wislon was SSAC’s first chair. He was a passionate advocate for science and its application into industry and a champion for Scotland, Ireland and the UK. Never one to take the easy line, he firmly put science and its aplication on the Government agenda, focussing on some of our greatest challenges such as poverty, energy and the enviroment. He was an inspiration to me and was particularly kind in sharing his knowledge and experience in guiding science projects to fruition with industry and governments. His work and legacy will continue and he will be rememberd by many who had the privledge of meeting and working with him. Graham Wren…
Roy Taylor
Wilson and I go back a long time! We first met in 1971 when I joined Dan Bradley’s group at the Queen’s University of Belfast, while Wilson had been recruited a year earlier. He was such an easy character to work with, friendly and open and was a really capable, innovative experimental physicist. In January 1973, as part of an advance party of six, with Wilson as the senior post-graduate student, we found ourselves at Imperial College setting up a suite of laboratories, prior to Dan’s arrival with the rest of the group at the end of that year. We all lived in the infamous flat in Dundonald Road and early in the morning Wilson and I would walk the four miles to College most days, when we would talk science and everything else, from farming to football. When Bradley left for Dublin in 1980, Wilson took on the leadership of the Photonics Group and he and I worked even more closely together and collaborated on a vast number of projects, until, happy to be out of London, Wilson was head-hunted and left for St. Andrews in 1985. I have no need to reiterate the influence that Wilson had…
Frank Gunn-Moore
Wilson was so kind to me when I first started in St Andrews. He was always encouraging and supportive. I remember when we started to discuss the idea of “Biophotonics in St Andrews”, circa 2003, he asked me to come to his office and he asked me: “What are the big problems in the Neuroscience world?”, that was a long discussion. He helped me in my early promotions, and he was always helping in developing international connections. A particular highlight was his support of myself and a friend and colleague in Strathclyde, Keith Mathieson, of putting on the first Optogenetics Rank Prize symposium (now over 13 years ago) which led to a trully remarkable follow up meeting at Stanford under what was called the Stanford Scottish Universities partnership (“SU2P”). His humour as well was always legendary, from excellent after dinner jokes, but then also I remember him describing the Kerr-mode lock laser system by using the analogy of sheep running a round in a field. A true supporter of science in general, but also of the next generation. I think many of us learnt a lot from Wilson of not just the research but how to conduct oneself. …
