We are sorry to have to convey the sad news that Kenneth Lawley died peacefully, after a very short illness, in Edinburgh on 6th February 2023. Kenneth was appointed as a lecturer in The School of Chemistry in 1963 as one of two appointments made to develop the Chemical Physics degree programme. He remained at Edinburgh throughout his career, working closely with his experimentalist colleagues Malcolm Fluendy and Robert Donovan and influencing generations of chemical physics undergraduates. After retirement he continued to research and publish papers and was often spotted in the Chemistry building. His most recent publication, from 2022, was a comprehensive review of Molecular Rydberg and Ion Pair States written together with Robert Donovan and Adam Kirrander (Int. Rev. Phys. Chem 41 (2022) 97-175). An acutely private person, Kenneth's other great passion was for collecting Song and Tang dynasty Chinese ceramics, later branching out into enamels and bronzes. In keeping with his character and acting on his express wishes, his body was quietly cremated "without any fuss". This article was published on 2024-03-13
