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Psychologist Dr Peter Mayo died on 6 October at the age of 80.

He was appointed to a Lectureship in Psychology in the School of Educational Studies (later Cultural and Community Studies) in 1968 and was subsequently promoted to Reader in Psychology.

Peter remained at Sussex until his retirement in 1993, teaching a range of courses in the areas of psychopathology, personality and cognition in the Developmental Psychology major, contributing also to the Master’s degree in Social Work.

Peter was an active researcher, conducting work into aspects of personality, schizophrenia, neurosis and psychotherapy. He published 17 research papers and worked collaboratively with colleagues as well as with a consultant psychiatrist at St Francis Hospital. His most cited paper concerned the relationship between personality and memory.

Peter was a thoughtful, kindly and modest person, respected by colleagues, well liked by those he taught and his PhD students. He brought a wide range of academic knowledge, as well as a wealth of practical and applied experience in the field, to his academic life at Sussex.

Peter developed his lifelong interest in psychology during his degree studies at the University of Southampton. Graduating with a BSc(Econ), he then trained as a psychiatric social worker in Manchester, after which he spent four years as a social worker at Claybury Mental Hospital. Later, as a part-time student, he read for a BSc Psychology (London External).

He then trained as a clinical psychologist and worked as a researcher for the Medical Research Council at the University of Edinburgh. While at Edinburgh he completed his PhD within two years, during which time he was also appointed to a lectureship in the Department of Psychiatry. 

During retirement, Peter maintained an active interest in his subject and read widely. After suffering for several years with Parkinsons, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in June of this year and died at the Martlets Hospice after a short illness. He is greatly missed by his family and a wide circle of friends.  

Professor Peter B. Smith, Mary Lewis and Gareth Williams