It is with the deepest sadness that we have to report the death of Professor Michael Majerus, who after a short but severe illness died peacefully during the night of 26/27 January.
Mike Majerus was a traditional Cambridge scientist; a charismatic individual for whom the boundaries between life and work, and teaching and research, were very hard to discern. He was a world authority in his field, a tireless advocate of evolution and an enthusiastic educator of graduate and undergraduate students. Mike’s enthusiasm for his subject and his rapport with students made him an ideal undergraduate lecturer. He had a great enthusiasm for field work and was tireless in training all of his students in practical skills. Never shy of publicity he took every opportunity to promote his field of evolutionary biology to the wider public.
In 2004 the arrival of the Harlequin ladybird in Britain was a disaster for native species but catapulted Mike into the public eye and on to the front page of The Times. Such was the appetite of the press, TV and radio for Mike’s work with the harlequin ladybird that for weeks he was omnipresent in the media. An enthusiast, a natural teacher and a man who radiated a passion for his subject he will be very sorely missed by all of his friends and colleagues in the Department of Genetics.
Dr David Summers
Head of Department
27th January 2009
