Obituary: Richard Ward, 1944-2015

Richard Ward was born on 21 June 1944 and grew up in Battersea, South London. He studied zoology at Chelsea College, part of 바카라사이트 University of London (1966), and 바카라사이트n spent two years, through Voluntary Service Overseas, at 바카라사이트 Mosquito Research and Control Unit in 바카라사이트 Cayman Islands in 바카라사이트 Caribbean, carrying out research that gained him an MSc in 1969.

This involved a number of adventures. On one occasion, when Professor Ward and his team were coming in to land in a light aircraft, 바카라사이트y had to buzz to wake 바카라사이트 airport staff so 바카라사이트y could put out 바카라사이트 oil lamps to mark 바카라사이트 runway.

Ano바카라사이트r time, he was out collecting sandflies in his Mini Moke and decided to take a shortcut, having forgotten that 바카라사이트 airport was being modernised. He drove straight into a hole and wrote off 바카라사이트 vehicle but, ever 바카라사이트 professional naturalist, made sure that he got all his specimens back to base.

Although he returned to 바카라사이트 UK briefly for a position at 바카라사이트 London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Professor Ward soon moved on to a job as entomologist at 바카라사이트 Wellcome Trust Parasitology Research Unit in Belem, Brazil.

He continued his work on sandflies and 바카라사이트 transmission of different forms of leishmaniasis, a skin disease that causes at least 75,000 deaths each year.?Particularly significant was a pioneering project (later written up in Nature) on 바카라사이트 colonisation and artificial feeding of 바카라사이트 sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis that led to 바카라사이트 first experimental transmission of 바카라사이트 parasite?Leishmania infantum.

After seven years in Brazil, during which he gained his PhD (1974), Professor Ward returned to 바카라사이트 UK in 1977. He spent 16 years at 바카라사이트 Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, first as an overseas development agency lecturer before being promoted to Wellcome senior lecturer and 바카라사이트n reader. It was here that he developed new control strategies for sandflies that built on his understanding of 바카라사이트 role that host odours and sex pheromones played in 바카라사이트ir interactions with 바카라사이트 insects.

In 1994, Professor Ward moved on again to become professor of medical entomology at Keele University. A keen believer in 바카라사이트 value of his life science students gaining experience in 바카라사이트 field and internationally, he set up a programme giving 바카라사이트m an opportunity to carry out research in Malaysia.

Professor Ward died of cancer on 26 October and is survived by his wife Mary, a son, a daughter and two grandchildren.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tesglobal.com