William Alexander Gambling. 11 October 1926—9 January 2021

Abstract William Alexander (Alec) Gambling, after graduating from Bristol University, entered Liverpool University in 1950, where he studied for a PhD and where he was later appointed as a lecturer in electrical power engineering. A research fellowship at the University of British Columbia followed. He returned to the UK in 1957 to a lectureship in electronics at Southampton University. Alec Gambling’s research work to this point had been entirely devoted to the study of hydrogen arc plasmas, but in Southampton he turned to the study of masers and lasers and their use as a carrier source in communications. In 1964, Alec Gambling suggested the use of optical fibres as a conducting medium for light signals. Much research on the composition and manufacture of glass fibres with low signal attenuation followed. Alec’s team grew rapidly in size and prominence owing to the technological developments it made in optical communications, not only with the conducting medium but also optical devices for amplifying and manipulating light signals. Alec Gambling’s role as a leader for his diverse and ever-changing research group was a significant success factor. In 1989, the team was incorporated within the newly formed Optoelectronics Research Centre at Southampton University. Major advances made in Southampton included the invention of the erbium-doped fibre amplifier and work on fibre lasers, photonic crystals, and fibre gratings. This institution is still today one of the foremost centres for optoelectronic research. It owes much to the pioneering work and exemplary leadership of Alec Gambling. In retirement he lived in Spain, where he died in 2021.