ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi wˈʌn, hiː mˈæɹid kˈæθɹɪn ˈeɪbəl, hˌuː wˈɜːkt wɪð hˌɪm æt ðə dᵻpˈɑːɹtmənt ʌv kˈɛmɪstɹi ɪn kˈeɪmbɹɪdʒ; ðeɪ hæd ɐ sˈʌn.
In 1981, he married Katherine Abell, who worked with him at the department of chemistry in Cambridge; they had a son.