Obituary Notice: Professor Martyn Chamberlain

Martyn's family have requested that anyone wishing to attend his funeral - to be held at Wymondham Abbey, Wymondham, Norfolk at 12pm on Thursday, 4th June 2026 - please get in touch via the College to confirm their intention to attend.

Please also get in touch if you would like to pass on messages, and for details on the sending of cards, or donations in memory. Please email grey.college@durham.ac.uk.

Should you wish to share stories, photographs or memories of Martyn's time as Master, you can do so via the above email address, or via grey.alumni@durham.ac.uk.

The following obituary has been circulated from our Vice Chancellor and Warden, Karen O'Brien.

Professor J Martyn Chamberlain

It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden death of Martyn Chamberlain, Professor Emeritus of Applied Physics, and former Master of Grey College, on 9 May 2026.

Martyn joined Durham University in 2003 following his appointment as fourth Master of Grey College, where he was also Chair in Applied Physics. He came to Durham from the University of Leeds, where he was Professor of Engineering Physics and Director of the Institute of Microwaves and Photonics, having previously been a Lecturer, Senior Lecturer and Reader in the School of Physics and Astronomy at Nottingham University. Prior to this, he had studied at Corpus Christi, Oxford, where he gained a BA and then his DPhil in 1972.

At Grey College, Martyn oversaw a period of growth in student numbers, the establishment of an active Middle Common Room for postgraduate students, the reinvigoration of an active Senior Common Room and Fellows’ programme, and the formation of the Grey College Junior Common Room Trust. Grey celebrated its Golden Jubilee during his time as Master, hosting a memorable series of events including an exhibition in conjunction with the Reform club and a series of lectures on Faith chaired by Rabbi Lionel Blue. As part of this, Martyn led the planning and fundraising for the College Library extension in memory of his predecessor, Victor Watts, and the extending of the JCR within the main Hollingside building to provide office and storage space for the students, a new shop, and with the bonus of adding a balcony area to the dining hall; on opening, these were named the Chamberlain rooms!

In the Department of Physics, Martyn established a group in Terahertz Physics as part of the Photonic Materials Institute, undertaking work as part of the European Union TeraNova consortium, but also in collaboration with other industrial and government partners. Over time this expanded to working with colleagues in engineering to develop artificial materials for the manipulation of terahertz light. He still enjoyed devoting time to the teaching and supervision of both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Martyn retired from Durham in 2011 but continued his association with the Department of Physics as Professor Emeritus. As part of this, he helped initiate the establishment of the Gareth Roberts Lecture series in Applied Physics. In 2017, Martyn and Sarah moved to Norfolk to be nearer to their children and their families, where they continued to enjoy travel, and Martyn kept involved in Terahertz Physics through consultancy work. In addition, he threw his energies into the life of Wymondham Abbey, where he was Treasurer and a Trustee of the friends, working to raise money to refurbish the Abbey and Hall.

Those who knew Martyn will miss his boundless energy and enthusiasm, kindness and integrity, and sense of humour. Martyn is survived by his wife, Sarah, and their two sons Ralph and Edmund, along with their wider families. Our thoughts are with them at this time.

Martyn’s funeral will take place at Wymondham Abbey, Wymondham, Norfolk, NR18 0PH at 12 noon on Thursday 4 June 2026. Family flowers only.

Karen O’Brien

Vice-Chancellor and Warden