Economist Dr Lesley Cook, who died on 25 January at the age of 81, will be remembered as one of the generation of pioneers who joined Lord Fulton and Asa Briggs in the early 1960s in setting up the new university at Falmer.

Her training in the Department of Applied Economics at Cambridge made Lesley a 'natural' for the interdisciplinary research that was such an important part of the Sussex project. She played an active role in the early days of both the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) and went on to serve with distinction and for long periods on both governing boards.

She was also involved with the Sussex European Research Centre, the pre-cursor to today's Sussex European Institute.

She was also a keen sportswoman, sailing at Newhaven, keeping horses at Lewes and riding long distances over the Downs, even on occasion to classes on campus.

In 1975, after a two-year spell in the Department of Energy, Lesley returned to work closely with the then newly established Energy Club at SPRU.

After retirement in 1982, the links with SPRU became closer. She contributed to a number of industrial projects and was a regular attendee at meetings and seminars, listening intensely, ready to pounce on any inconsistency of argument.

Here perhaps lay her major contribution. She hated platitudes or sloppy thinking and was constantly ready to challenge the orthodox. Many a graduate student had reason to thank Lesley for teaching them to think simply and argue straight.

•  A memorial service will be held at the Meeting House on Monday 23 February  at 11am. All are welcome.