hiː ˈɜːnd ɐ fˈɜːst klˈæs dᵻɡɹˈiː ɪn nˈætʃɚɹəl sˈaɪənsᵻz ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti fˈoːɹ, ðˈɛn mˈuːvd tə ɹᵻsˈɜːtʃ ɪnðə dᵻpˈɑːɹtmənt ʌv kˈɛmɪkəl kɹˌɪstɐlˈɑːɡɹəfi, fˈɜːst wɪð hˈɜːbɚt mˈɑːɹkəs pˈaʊɛl ˌɛfˌɑːɹɹˈɛs fɔːɹ hɪz dˈɑːktɚɹ ʌv fɪlˈɑːsəfi dᵻɡɹˈiː ænd lˈeɪɾɚ wˈɜːkɪŋ ˌɔn ˈɪnsəlˌɪn wɪð dˈɔːɹəθi hˈɑːdʒkɪn.
He earned a First Class degree in Natural Sciences in 1964, then moved to research in the Department of Chemical Crystallography, first with Herbert Marcus Powell FRS for his Doctor of Philosophy degree and later working on insulin with Dorothy Hodgkin.