Obituary: Peter Denyer, 56

Professor Peter Denyer, who was famous among colleagues at the University of Edinburgh for his contributions towards technology used in the first mobile phone cameras, has died, aged 56.

THE business-minded scientist obtained a first-class degree in electronics from Loughborough University and moved to Scotland in 1977 to be with his wife, Glasgow-born Fiona, whose father was a journalist on the Evening News.

The two met while he was working in Cheltenham for the British intelligence agency GCHQ, where he provided signals intelligence for the armed forces. Once in Scotland he did a PhD at the University of Edinburgh and in 1986, aged 33, became its youngest professor when he took the Chair of Integrated Electronics.

Under his tutelage, Edinburgh students established a start-up company called Pufferfish which manufactured "digital spherical displays". The balls, known as Pufferspheres, are suspended projectors and have been used in live gigs by artists such as Coldplay and Sir Paul McCartney.

With a professorship under his belt, Prof Denyer embarked on a mission to develop technology known as CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor), which is still used in millions of mobile phones today.

Together with a dedicated team, he helped boost the international profile of the university's electronics research, working with esteemed American researchers such as Dr Eric R Fossum.

Unlike many academics, he also had a mind for business, and, concerned over who might profit from his team's research, he established the company VLSI vision in 1990.

Soon the firm was opening offices in California and New Jersey in the United States and in 1995, it was floated on the London Stock Exchange for 25 million.

Four years later, Prof Denyer sold the firm, but went from one success to the next. He co-founded Rhetorical Systems, which was later sold to another company, Nuance Communications Inc. Another company, MicroEmissive Displays, featured in the Guinness Book of Records for creating the world's tiniest TV screen – the size of a child's fingernail. He also retained an honorary professorship at the University of Edinburgh.

Though his work took him around Britain, his wife and daughters Kate and Kirsty remained in Edinburgh. His wife is still a deputy head teacher at the Capital's George Watson's College.

He is also remembered as an energetic adventurer. He wrote while sailing around the Western Isles on his 36ft yacht last year: "After these few weeks at sea, everything is salty, sticky or smelly, and I am all three. But you won't find a saltier, smellier, stickier or happier man in all of the west coast."

Prof Denyer died of cancer on 22 April, five days before his 57th birthday.