Sir Martin Francis Wood. 19 April 1927—23 November 2021

Abstract

Martin Wood was much more than an engineer or entrepreneur. In co-founding with his wife, Audrey Wood, the very first spin-out company in the history of the then 900-year-old University of Oxford, he initiated a climate of innovation that, decades later, still influences the university and the city of Oxford. His hand can be traced in literally dozens of local technology enterprises, and Oxford Instruments’ central role in the development of superconducting magnets for MRI represents an historical achievement of international significance.