Early life

He was born in Langar, Nottinghamshire and educated at Dulwich College

Dulwich College

Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...

 and Queen Mary College, London.

Career

During WW2 he assisted in a national survey of seaweed resources and researched algaes used to make water soluble silk for parachutes to drop mines at sea. He also worked on pest control for Pest Control Ltd at Harston.

In 1945 he was appointed Assistant Lecturer, then Lecturer, and then Reader in Botany at University College, London (until 1960). He was then made Professor of Botany at Westfield College, London (1960-1971) and then Professor of Marine Biology, University College of North Wales (1971-1985). He specialised in cyanobacteria.

He was President of the British Phycological Society (1961-1962), Chairman of the British Antarctic Survey

British Antarctic Survey

The British Antarctic Survey is the United Kingdom's national Antarctic operation and has an active role in Antarctic affairs. BAS is part of the Natural Environment Research Council and has over 400 staff. It operates five research stations, two ships and five aircraft in and around Antarctica....

 Scientific Advisory Committee (1971-1964), Chairman of the Freshwater Biological Association

Freshwater Biological Association

The Freshwater Biological Association is a British membership association, independent scientific organisation and a registered charity...

 Council (1974-1985), Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Panel, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to as Kew Gardens, is 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England. "The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew" and the brand name "Kew" are also used as umbrella terms for the institution that runs...

 (1974-1982) and President of the Institute of Biology

Institute of Biology

The Institute of Biology was a professional body for biologists, primarily those working in the United Kingdom. The Institute was founded in 1950 by the Biological Council: the then umbrella body for Britain's many learned biological societies...

 (1976-1977). He also sat on the Council of NERC (Natural Environment Research Council

Natural Environment Research Council

The Natural Environment Research Council is a British research council that supports research, training and knowledge transfer activities in the environmental sciences.-History:...

) and on the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution.

He died in Llandegfan, Anglesey in 2005. He had married Beryl Llechid-Jones in 1945.

Honours and awards

• He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in Mar, 1965
• He delivered the Leeuwenhoek Lecture
  Leeuwenhoek Lecture
  The Leeuwenhoek Lecture is a prize lecture of the Royal Society originally given annually, but now every three years, on the subject of microbiology. It is named after the Dutch microscopist Anton van Leeuwenhoek and was instituted in 1948 from a bequest...
  
   to the Royal Society in 1968.
• He was awarded CBE
  CBE
  CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
  
   in 1983.
• Fogg Highland
  Fogg Highland
  Fogg Highland is an ice-covered upland, 20 nautical miles long and 10 nautical miles wide, on the Black Coast, Palmer Land, Antarctica, terminating on the northeast in Cape Herdman and bounded on the north by Violante Inlet and on the south by Clowes Glacier.The feature was photographed from the...
  
  in Antarctica is named after him.