Michael Larkum: kind, modest, remarkable

Mike Larkum, who worked as a technician in UCL Biochemistry & Molecular Biology for 26 years, has sadly died. Colleagues here pay tribute to his immense contribution to their work and to UCL life. Michael Larkum was a treasured member of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology for over 26 years. He commenced with UCL as a Workshop Electronics Technician in 1983. He was kind, modest, unassuming and always willing to go the extra mile in order to repair faulty equipment or help with any emergency. Whenever anything needed fixing we always said: "Ask Mike!"  Mike has helped numerous students and staff of all levels throughout the department and we have much to thank him for in making our research labs and our class labs run smoothly. He would go out of his way to fix things for us, from computers to tissue culture hoods. He would find things others had decided were beyond their reasonable life and restore and transform the items for whoever he thought could use them. Mike was a genius at fixing and building equipment. He was also invaluable in helping staff cope with the multitude of building works that have been part of life in the Darwin Building for many years. Professor Jeremy Brockes had a paper published in Science which subsequently won a prize from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It was critically dependent on some electrodes that Mike had designed and produced. Professor Brockes recalls: 'He was a perfectionist, always wanting to proceed with modifications until we were absolutely satisfied, and woe betide us if the equipment was not used to his satisfaction!?