In January this year we received the sad news that our former colleague, Dr Sebastian Bartos, had died suddenly. Sebastian joined the University of Northampton in September 2018 – the day before I did. He and I bonded instantly. Sebastian had a dry sense of humour and was always able to diffuse anxieties with a witty comment over a coffee or a meal.
For deep one-to-one chats, there was no better interlocutor than Sebastian, whose conversations were stimulating and thought-provoking. He always left me with something to ponder and I learned so much from him. I am sure many of the students and staff at UON would recognise this experience. Our last conversation was on New Year’s Eve of 2021. Like so many of us, he was full of ideas and aspirations for 2022. We talked for almost two hours and made plans to meet a week or so later. Sadly, this conversation was to be our last, but I will treasure it.
By Dr Liz Gulliford
Dr Sebastian Bartos (left), with Dr Evgenia Volkovyskaya
