Born on 2 May 1948 and educated in North Wales at Ruabon Boys Grammar school, Evans read Natural Sciences at Churchill College, Cambridge taking a first class degree and obtained a doctorate in inorganic chemistry from Imperial College London, working in the laboratory of Professor Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson.
bˈɔːɹn ˌɔn tˈuː mˈeɪ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi ˈeɪt ænd ˈɛdʒuːkˌeɪɾᵻd ɪn nˈɔːɹθ wˈeɪlz æt ɹˈuːæbən bˈɔɪz ɡɹˈæmɚ skˈuːl, ˈɛvənz ɹˈiːd nˈætʃɚɹəl sˈaɪənsᵻz æt tʃˈɜːtʃɪl kˈɑːlɪdʒ, kˈeɪmbɹɪdʒ tˈeɪkɪŋ ɐ fˈɜːst klˈæs dᵻɡɹˈiː ænd əbtˈeɪnd ɐ dˈɑːktɚɹˌeɪt ɪn ˌɪnoːɹɡˈænɪk kˈɛmɪstɹi fɹʌm ɪmpˈɪɹiəl kˈɑːlɪdʒ lˈʌndən, wˈɜːkɪŋ ɪnðə lˈæbɹətˌɔːɹi ʌv pɹəfˈɛsɚ sˌɜː dʒˈɛfɹi wˈɪlkɪnsən.