It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our former colleague Paul Stoodley, an outstanding leader and ambassador in the field of microbial biofilms.
Paul was Professor in Microbial Tribology in the National Centre for Advanced Tribology (nCATS), in Engineering Sciences, and collaborated widely across the University including Medicine/University Hospital Southampton and the Institute for Life Sciences. He was instrumental in the formation of the National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC). He was a great supporter of students and ECRs, and a wonderful colleague and friend to many. He will be greatly missed. Paul’s family have given permission to share his obituary below.
Paul Stoodley passed away peacefully at the age of 63 on 8 April 2024 after an extraordinary fight against cancer. He was surrounded by his girls, Luanne, Victoria, Emily, and Pixie the cat. Despite being diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer in spring 2022, Paul continued to live his life as he always did: with joy, adventure, curiosity, and an infectious love for life.
Paul was born to Edna and Graham Stoodley in Taunton in the beautiful west country of England on 4 October 1960. Paul’s appreciation and love of the simple things in life, shared by his sister Carol, was learnt from Edna and Graham.
Paul was a Professor in Microbial Infection and Immunity and in Orthopaedics in the College of Medicine at The Ohio State University (OSU), Columbus, Ohio, and a Professor in Microbial Tribology in the National Centre for Advanced Tribology (nCATS) in Engineering Sciences at the University of Southampton. Paul received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Lancaster in Environmental Sciences with an emphasis in Geophysics. After graduating, Paul was the site geophysicist on an archaeological dig looking for an 8th Century monastery in Dacre in the English Lake District, near Ullswater. There, he met and fell in love with Luanne who was working on the dig after studying at Cambridge University. He visited Luanne in Montana, and they were married shortly after in 1983 at Dacre Church in England. Paul and Luanne then moved to Montana where Paul began working at the Institute for Process Analysis which became the Center for Biofilm Engineering (CBE) at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. Paul received his PhD at the University of Exeter and returned to the CBE as a postdoctoral fellow before moving on to faculty positions at the Allegheny-Singer Research Institute and Drexel University College of Medicine in Pennsylvania, the University of Southampton in the UK, and The Ohio State University. Paul was a pioneering researcher in microbial biofilms with widespread impact in surgical site infection, orthopedic implants, wound infection, dental as well as in industrial biofilms. Paul was an elected Fellow of the American Association of Microbiology and, among many other honors, director of the OSU imaging core. He was a dedicated mentor and a role model for mentorship at all levels. Paul is remembered for his kindness, humility, and genuine concern for his colleagues, staff and students and his love of science.
Alongside Paul’s incredible impact in the science community, he was a family man at heart. Paul had an adventurous spirit and will be remembered by his family for many Stoodley Family adventures and travels. He made an adventure out of every trip with Luanne and the girls, whether it was camping in Yellowstone National Park or bushwhacking in the Picos de Europa mountain range in Spain. He encouraged Luanne, Victoria and Emily to be adventurous, excited for life and carefree in their spirits.
Paul’s love for running started in the mountains of Bozeman, Montana where he fell in love with trail running and soon started signing up for races (and winning said races in baggy shorts and a Flintstone T shirt, much to the dismay of the pro-athletes in high-tech gear toeing the line beside him). Later, he joined the Winchester & District Athletics Club (WADAC) in Winchester, UK with Victoria and Emily, where they raced in competitions for the club. After moving to Columbus, Ohio, he joined two running clubs, Marathoners in Training (MIT) and Rogue Racers, with whom he competed in road races and marathons. He ran over 10 marathons during his time in Ohio including Boston and New York. He said his favourite was the Columbus Nationwide Children’s Marathon where he loved giving high 5s to the children at each mile marker. Paul made an impact on the running communities in Winchester and Columbus that will be cherished by all that ran with him and knew his laugh and big smile that made running seem all too easy. A distinct memory for Paul’s family and running buddy, Mary Dilhoff, was when he ran the Boston Marathon and had just crested Heartbreak Hill at which point everyone nearby was grimacing in pain but not Paul, who had the biggest smile on his face and a bounce in his step as if he had just started.
Paul was a loving son, husband, father, brother, uncle. The values and happiness Paul provided to his wife Luanne, their beloved daughters Victoria and Emily, his sister Carol, nieces Lisa and Lauren, and nephew Steven is immeasurable and will live on with them forever.
“When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.” – Stuart Scott.