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Peter Brooks, former Director of Research and Regional Development, died unexpectedly on 29 May, aged 65, suffering a fatal stroke while on holiday in Thailand.

Over Peter’s career, he worked in many universities – including Nottingham, Leeds and Surrey. He also spent a number of his early years at Kuwait University as Secretary to the Faculty of Medicine.

Peter specialised in research management while at Leeds, from where he moved to Surrey as Deputy Director of Research Services in 1991, before joining Sussex in 2000 as Director of Research Services.

Among Peter’s many achievements while at Sussex were the establishment of professional operational support structure for research; greater engagement and visibility with local and regional partners; a range of policies in support of research, including an intellectual property and commercialisation policy; and oversight of the establishment of an institution-wide ethics and governance structure.

Peter was a highly respected colleague both within the University and across the higher education sector. He participated and contributed actively in many professional associations such as AURIL (Association for University Research and Industry Links), and he was a founder member of SEELOS (South East European Liaison Officers), a network established in 1996 to collaborate on EU research funding, and which is still active.

Former colleagues in Research and Enterprise said: “Peter was highly professional and knowledgeable but also very modest. He was inspirational as a manager, and had a huge amount of integrity. He was also hugely charming and fun - working with him did not seem like work at all!”

Peter took early retirement in 2008. However, never one fully to embrace retirement, in 2009 he returned to the Middle East to take up an exciting position as Assistant to the Senior Vice President of Economic Development at KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology).

Peter’s funeral will be held on Tuesday 18 June at All Saints Church, The Drive, Hove BN3 3QE, at 1.30 p.m., followed by burial at Newhaven Cemetery (in Lewes Road, near Piddinghoe village) at 3pm.

Family flowers only. You can send a donation for Heart Research UK or the Stroke Association via J. Wagstaff Funeral Directors, 231 South Coast Road, Peacehaven B10 8LB.