Roy Jackson

Roy Jackson was born in Manchester, England, the only child of Harold and Ellen Jackson. He received an excellent education as a scholarship student at the Bolton School, which led to another scholarship to Cambridge University. He deferred his studies to fulfill his 2 year commitment to National Service in the Royal Air Force, teaching electricity and magnetism to radar mechanic trainees. He received his B.A. in Physics from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1954. His first work was at the Imperial Chemical Institute where he transformed into a chemical engineer. During this time he met and courted Susan Birch, the sister of his Trinity colleague Bryan Birch. Roy and Susan were married in 1957 and had a daughter Fiona in 1959 and a son Andrew in 1961. Shortly afterwards the family moved north as Roy was offered a faculty position in chemical engineering at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. In 1968 he was awarded a Doctorate of Science degree on the basis of his research contributions.

Roy’s research collaborations led to a sabbatical in 1965-66 at Rice University in Houston, Texas, culminating in a 3 month family camping tour of the United States. In 1968 he accepted a professorship at Rice and the family moved permanently to Texas. In 1977 Roy moved from Rice to the University of Houston, followed by a year as a distinguished professor at Caltech in 1982-83. After this he joined the faculty at Princeton University, where he remained until his retirement in 1998. In 2000, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London. In a 2017 tribute, Roy was recognized as “a pioneering researcher and inspiring teacher, who left a profound mark on countless colleagues, students, and co-workers.”

Sadly, in 1991 he lost his beloved wife Susan to cancer and remained a widower for his remaining years. He retired to New Bern, NC in order to be closer to family and close to the water. He had a lifelong love of sailing, from making voyages in his own small Dolphin to helping restore and sail two tall ships. He was also a skillful artist, preferring watercolors and nautical scenes, and he made good friends in New Bern’s artistic community.

Roy is survived by his daughter Fiona, and husband Paul Cook, son Andrew and wife Lisa Warren, four grandsons Nicholas, Christopher, Jamie, and Alastair, and three great grandchildren. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to the National Science Foundation or the Craven County Arts Council.

Please join Roy's family for a celebration of his life at 11:00 am on Saturday, August 29th, 2026 at Bank of the Arts, 317 Middle St, New Bern, NC. Casual attire is welcome.