Professor David Arnold (1951-2016)

Professor Debra Humphris, the university’s Vice-Chancellor, said: “We were all deeply saddened by the news and, on behalf of the entire university community, I wish to express my condolences to David’s family and friends.

“David joined the university in 2002 as Dean of the Faculty of Management and Information Sciences. He became Director of Research Initiatives and Dean of Brighton Doctoral College by the time of his retirement earlier this year.

“He was immensely influential, an enormous asset to the university, and was loved and admired by all who knew him both here in the UK and abroad.”

David was educated at Gonville and Caius College and submitted his PhD, ‘Computer Model of Housing Layout,' to the Department of Architecture at the University of Cambridge in 1978.

He was a senior programmer for the Royal Naval Engineering College, Manadon, Plymouth (HMS Thunderer), and Scientific Assistant at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Thurleigh, Bedford. Later he was Research Assistant at the Centre for Land Use and Built Form Studies at the University of Cambridge, before lecturing in Computing Science at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, where he was promoted to full Professor in 1989.

In 2010, as the University of Brighton’s Dean of the Faculty of Management and Information Sciences, David took on lead responsibility for doctoral students – activities which were brought together across the university in 2011 under the Brighton Doctoral College.

Alongside this and the work of the Cultural Informatics Research Group (CIRG) he also held the role of Director of Research Initiatives. In 2015, David was appointed Honorary Professor at University College London. And before his retirement from the University of Brighton, David was appointed to the role of interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research).

David’s external roles and appointments were extensive. He was a Chartered Engineer, a Chartered Information Technology Professional and a Member of the ACM and ACM SIGGRAPH and the UK Computing Research Committee. He was also a Fellow of the British Computer Society and the Eurographics Association.

He was also chair of programme committees for the Virtual Reality, Archaeology and Intelligent Cultural Heritage conferences, the Cultural Heritage Informatics Research Orientated Network, and coordinator of the Excellence in Processing Open Cultural Heritage Network.

Under his guidance, the CIRG developed into a vibrant inter-disciplinary community, holding major European research grants, collaborating with major national and international museums, archives, heritage agencies and businesses, hosting events, visitors and students from across the world, and celebrated in a major 10th anniversary event in 2014.

David took a lead role with the 3D COFORM project which is establishing 3D documentation as an effective mechanism for long term documentation of tangible cultural heritage. It gained him national recognition and David was the subject of reports and interviews on BBC Radio 4 The Today programme, BBC TV, ITV and The Sunday Telegraph.

The CIRG team paid the following tribute: “For those people fortunate enough to work with David as part of the Cultural Informatics team, this loss is that of both a fantastic leader and colleague, as well as a wonderfully supportive friend.

“With so many roles, David touched the lives of many in the university and well beyond, but it was his humanity that truly defined him. Compassion and warmth were always at the core of everything he did and, in his team, we all benefited from his amazing generosity, his huge sense of humour and his sheer kindness. David was an absolute gentleman, unstinting in nature, supportive, scrupulously fair and very caring.”

The University of Brighton’s Professor Andrew Lloyd, Dean of the College of Life, Health and Physical Sciences, said: “I worked closely with David over the last 15 years. David was a true friend, colleague and mentor who was always willing to offer support and guidance to those with whom he worked across the university. Not only did he influence so much of the development of the university but continued to make major contributions to his research field nationally and internationally.”

The university’s Dr John Taylor, Head of the School of Computing Engineering & Mathematics, said: “David effortlessly combined human warmth and empathy with both senior management and exceptional international research leadership. He singlehandedly developed and led CIRG, a close knit group of university scholars with an international research profile whose reach went far beyond the academic community.

“The group was a part of an extraordinary European network of academic and cultural organisations that David was instrumental in creating. Alongside this, David led the Faculty of Management and Information Sciences comprising four schools with a wide range of academic interests. But his leadership was never remote; David always engaged with colleagues on a deeply personal level.”

And Professor David Anderson, Professor of Digital Humanities, on behalf of the CIRG, said: “With so many roles David touched the lives of many in the university. As a scientist, colleague and friend he will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his wife Angela and his sons at this difficult time.”