In memory of Colyn Crane-Robinson (1935–2023)

We pay tribute to the loss of a remarkable scientist, Colyn Crane-Robinson, who passed away on 5th March 2023. Throughout his lifetime, Colyn's unwavering dedication and infectious enthusiasm enriched our understanding of nucleic acid structures and DNA-protein interactions. “Colyn’s work was simply pioneering. Thanks to the collaboration with Colyn and the stimulating discussion with him I learned and understood a lot about chromatin, especially about histone modifications and ChIP assays. Together we discovered that a specific histone modification, H3K4me3, marks active genes” says Robert Schneider, Director of the IFE.

Colyn’s  innovative research brought profound insights to our field giving rise to numerous publications. His work exemplified his collaborative spirit and revealed unexpected truths by shedding new light on principles in chromatin regulation.

We invite you to read the Nucleic Acids Research editorial on Colyn: Editorial: Colyn Crane-Robinson (1935–2023)

The photo of Colyn Crane-Robinson in his office taken and kindly shared with us by his wife.