We invite you to join us in remembering the life and contributions of Sir Gordon Conway, who sadly passed away in July this year at the age of 85. As a former Vice Chancellor, Sir Gordon held the University of Sussex in great affection and his family have kindly requested that those wishing to pay their respects please do so via donations to The Sussex Fund, which provides a lifeline to students and the community at Sussex.

During a long and varied career, Sir Gordon engaged with some of society’s most pressing issues, most notably in the fields of ecology, sustainable farming practices, and food security in the Global South. He brought this passion for innovation to the University of Sussex in 1992 where, as Vice -Chancellor, he was instrumental in establishing the Brighton and Sussex Medical School and was Chair of the world-leading Institute for Development Studies. In acknowledgment of his progressive, reforming work at Sussex, Sir Gordon was made Emeritus Professor of Environmental Science in 2002.

The impact of Sir Gordon’s ecological work was felt well beyond Sussex. Occupying high profile positions including Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department for International Development, President of the Rockefeller Foundation and Royal Geographical Society, and Director of Agriculture for Impact at Imperial College London, he helped to shape policy and revolutionise agricultural practices to meet today’s global challenges. For this pioneering work, Sir Gordon was awarded five honorary degrees and fellowships, and was made a Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George in 2005.