Wouter Kallemeijn

I knew Wouter was a special person right from his first day at Imperial. Not just because he arrived with two research grants, but because Ed took him for a ‘good’ coffee at the V&A - something rarely offered, even to visiting professors. The rest of Wouter’s first day went downhill rapidly… The only spare space in our already overspilling office was a makeshift half-desk crammed in next to the fridge, and getting him access to IT proved difficult, even if he did have two grants to his name. Wouter handled all of this graciously, which I came to learn was just one part of his wonderful personality. Wouter quickly became an integral part of the Tate group - and eventually got a better desk! He was a constant source of wisdom and calm in the lab, with his tidy bench space (everything carefully labelled WWK!) and his amazing ability to help solve any problem. Wouter was always so generous with his time, and so many of us who worked with him are so grateful for everything he shared to help us become better scientists. When you leave a workplace, you often keep in touch with people less and less, and some people hardly at all. I was lucky that Wouter became one of the people I met for the occasional dinner, drinks, or coffee after I left Imperial. Each time we did, even though much time had passed and our lives had moved on, it always felt like we were right back having morning coffee at Imperial. This is something I will really miss. When we caught up, it was always clear how much being a dad meant to Wouter, and how much he loved Johanna and Charlie. I hope that, in time, the memories people are sharing here may bring them, and the rest of his friends and family, some small comfort.