▁He ▁was ▁member ▁of ▁the ▁team ▁of ▁Oxford ▁University ▁scient ists ▁who ▁developed ▁pen ic ill in . ▁Norman ▁He at ley ▁developed ▁the ▁back - ext raction ▁technique ▁for ▁efficiently ▁pur ifying ▁pen ic ill in ▁in ▁bulk . ▁ ▁Early ▁life ▁He ▁was ▁born ▁in ▁Wood bridge , ▁Su ff olk , ▁and ▁as ▁a ▁boy ▁was ▁an ▁enthus i astic ▁sail or ▁of ▁a ▁small ▁boat ▁on ▁the ▁River ▁D eben , ▁an ▁experience ▁which ▁gave ▁him ▁a ▁lif el ong ▁love ▁of ▁sail ing . ▁He ▁attended ▁school ▁in ▁Fol k estone , ▁followed ▁by ▁Ton bridge ▁School , ▁then ▁went ▁on ▁to ▁St ▁John ' s ▁College , ▁Cambridge , ▁where ▁he ▁studied ▁Natural ▁Sciences , ▁gradu ating ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 3 . ▁His ▁doctor al ▁research ▁in ▁Cambridge ▁led ▁to ▁a ▁Ph D ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 6 , ▁and ▁he ▁then ▁moved ▁to ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Oxford , ▁where ▁he ▁became ▁a ▁fellow ▁of ▁Lincoln ▁College ▁and ▁joined ▁a ▁team ▁working ▁under ▁Howard ▁Fl ore y ▁that ▁included ▁Ernst ▁Ch ain . ▁ ▁Production ▁problem ▁Alexander ▁F lem ing ▁had ▁first ▁discovered ▁pen ic ill in ▁by ▁accident ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 8 , ▁but ▁at ▁that ▁time ▁believed ▁it ▁had ▁little ▁application . ▁When ▁Fl ore y ▁and ▁his ▁team ▁recogn ised ▁the ▁potential ▁of ▁the ▁discovery ▁for ▁comb ating ▁b acter ial ▁in fection , ▁they ▁faced ▁the ▁problem ▁of ▁how ▁to ▁manufact ure ▁pen ic ill in ▁in ▁sufficient