Professor Michael Wakelam was Director of the Babraham Institute in Cambridge from 2007 until his unexpected death on 31st March 2020, aged 64.

Michael was an exceptional person, showing empathy, kindness and humour. He was astute, quickly seeing to the heart of the matter, whether professional or personal.

His leadership of the Institute kept it on course as an internationally renowned centre for scientific excellence in the life sciences and, through his person warmth and drive, he also nurtured a dedicated and supportive community. Michael carried out his directorial responsibilities with a calm, fair and open attitude, always keen to act in the best interests of the Institute, its research and its people. His love for research remained unstinted, encouraging and supporting everyone from those at the start of their careers to established research leaders.

Michael took time for everyone, often creating a personal connection, and enjoyed sharing stories about travel and personal lives, especially family. Michael was immensely proud of his family and took clear delight in charting the progress of his sons' achievements and careers as well as recounting their earlier years.

Michael was an inspiration to many, and will leave a strong and respected legacy at the Institute and, more widely, through networks and projects of which he was part.

As part of our tribute to Michael, we are inviting people to make donations to three selected charities that were very close to his heart (we have created a separate JustGiving page in Michael's name for each charity to allow direct donations).

1) Crisis - UK charity for homeless people. Michael had taken to donating on a regular basis to Crisis as he felt deeply concerned about the increase in the number of homeless people.  You can donate to Crisis from this page.

2) Sands - the UK's leading stillbirth and neonatal death charity. This charity was particularly important to Michael and his wife Jane as their firstborn child, Ellen, died at birth. Sands provided them with vital support. Please go to Michael's Sands JustGiving page to donate.

3) Cancer Research UK (CRUK) - Michael's research made important contributions to what is known about lipids (cellular fats) and he had a particular interest in the role of lipids in health and disease, including cancer, which was a lasting focus throughout his career. Please go to Michael's CRUK JustGiving page to donate.

Thank you for taking the time to visit Michael's JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.