My friend Toni Slabas, who has died aged 70, was an internationally renowned plant biochemist. He came from humble beginnings and quietly made a positive impact on the lives of many others.
At Durham University, where he was professor of plant sciences from 1990 to 2013, Toni established a world-leading group in plant biochemistry with a particular interest in seed oil production and cell wall biochemistry. He set up a spin-out company, Creative Gene Technology, developing new technologies to improve crop yields, and sat on various UK government advisory committees, as well as acting as scientific adviser to plant biotechnology companies globally. He was also a committed teacher of undergraduate and postgraduate students, many now eminent scientists in their own right.
Toni was born in Hammersmith, west London. His life was framed by the experiences of his parents, his Ukrainian mother, Wiera Ruban, and his Polish father, Franciszek Slabas. As young people they were enslaved as prisoners of war in Austria, shifted to a refugee camp in Italy at the end of the second world war, and then landed in the UK by chance.
They worked hard, setting up their own businesses (his father started a haulage firm) and this ethic was embedded in Toni. His mother’s cafe in Peckham influenced his love of food, cooking and catering. Family, friends and students remember Toni’s wonderful breakfasts, often served with salad, pickles and watermelon.
His initial schooling was basic, hindered by having Polish as a first language and by his focus on sport and adventure, and he left Bishop Thomas Grant school in Streatham with few qualifications. But he persisted through further education and went on to exceed all expectations, gaining a first-class degree in chemistry and microbiology at Queen Mary College, University of London, in 1971, followed by a DPhil at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. He was a postdoctoral researcher in various labs before moving into industry at Unilever near Bedford. He worked there for 13 years, becoming head of the cell sciences research group, and returned to academia in 1990 to seek fresh scientific challenges.
He was always inquisitive and questioning, loved life and had an eclectic mix of interests. He loved his plants, both for work and pleasure. He was a fan of rugby, red wine, music and art, building up a large collection of blown glass. He was also supportive of young musicians, as a patron of the Royal College of Music.
Toni is survived by his wife, Pat Richardson, whom he met in Durham in 1999 through a mutual friend and married in 2006, and his brother Boris.
