Tony Becher, a distinguished Professor of Education at Sussex from 1976-96, died on 9 March, aged 78.
Tony's most noted research was on the sociology of higher education and on education policy, and he was the author of a classic text on the internal life of the higher education community.
In 1961 Tony became Assistant Director at the Nuffield Foundation, where he was responsible for education projects including the various Nuffield Science schemes. He later became director of the Group for Research and Innovation in Higher Education, which led to developments in teaching and learning in universities across the UK.
This background led him naturally in 1976 to Sussex, where he brought his vast knowledge of educational innovation to an institution already known for its pioneering approach. He directed or taught on various MA courses and supervised numerous MA, MPhil and DPhil students.
As Chair of Education from 1981-86, Tony steered the subject group through difficult times. Until retirement in 1996 he was also director of the Centre for Research and Development for the Professions and the co-director of an influential Accountability Project.
When his period as Chair of Education was over, Tony devoted himself to teaching, research and writing. His achievements in the later part of his career were considerable: he wrote or co-authored 11 books, produced over 50 academic articles and still found the time to be the editor of five learned journals. He was later awarded a PhD from Cambridge for his collected writings.
His most influential and internationally acclaimed work, Academic Tribes and Territories, explored "the diverse characteristics of those who inhabit and cultivate the realms of knowledge". Published in 1989 and updated in 2001, it is one of the most cited books in this area of research.