By Lisa Pittock, senior lecturer in diagnostic radiography, Canterbury Christ Church University
The radiography team at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) announce with great sadness the untimely passing of their colleagueDr Alison Eyden on 20 August at the age of 54.
Having decided that a chemistry degree was not for her, Ali started her BSc in radiography at CCCU and qualified as a radiographer in 1995. Audrey Paterson, then head of school, described Ali as an exemplary student radiographer.
Ali worked in local hospitals for a short period whilst also studying for her PhD. She became the first full-time PhD student of the radiography department at CCCU in 1995. Her subject was physics, investigating the application of semiconductor detectors in the estimation of effective radiation dose, and physics was her real passion at the time.
Audrey recalls Ali happily spending many hours variously producing, calibrating, and perfecting gelatin blocks and assessing semiconductor detectors for her experimental work and paying detailed attention to the temperature-controlled storage of the gel blocks.
As part of her doctoral scholarship, Ali also contributed to the undergraduate radiography programme, and much preferred to teach radiation protection and dosimetry to radiographic technique.
Ali was awarded her PhD in January 2000 and went on to become a highly valued and regarded staff member in the radiography department, the very beginning of her illustrious career at CCCU. Her career path started as a diagnostic radiography lecturer, rapidly rising through the ranks in academia to become dean of education and student success.
Outside of CCCU she supported two local schools as a member of the board of governors. An accomplished bass guitarist, she played in local bands of several different genres, and had a lifelong love of music, especially cheesy 80s music.
A champion of low-brow TV and as she might have described, ‘quality’ films, which helped her to engage with all manner of colleagues and students and make everyone feel a friend. Ali was also a seasoned quiz team member, taking part in weekly pub quizzes, making good use of her incredible science and music knowledge. Winning was always the goal!
Highly regarded by her colleagues, she is remembered for her supportive approach and ability to find a solution when others could not. As often as not, a solution involving a spreadsheet, or cake, or both, but always with a human connection to her colleagues and students. Laughter was a recurring theme in meetings with colleagues.
She will be sorely missed by colleagues and friends at CCCU. Despite significant illness over the past year, she dealt with it with amazing bravery and laughter, even in the toughest of times.
Ali’s funeral was packed with friends, past and present colleagues. It was a celebration of her life, her love of cats, cake, music, sci-fi and TV and most importantly her love for her husband Simon and children Natalie and George.
(Image: Dr Alison Eyden)