Alliance MLA Stephen Farry has expressed his sadness at the sudden death of Queen’s University Vice-Chancellor Professor Paddy Johnston, and paid tribute to his “inspirational leadership”.
The former Minister for Employment and Learning said the tragic loss was deeply saddening.
“I was saddened to learn at the sudden and tragic loss of Professor Patrick Johnston. During my time as Minister, I had the privilege of working in partnership with him during the first two years of his time in office.
“Paddy provided inspirational leadership for the university through some very challenging circumstances. He will be remembered for driving Queen’s to even greater levels of excellence in some key areas of research and teaching, and engagement with the wider business and community sectors. In particular, he placed the university even more firmly on the global stage.
“In his own right as an academic, he had established a track record as one of the world’s leading cancer researchers.
“My thoughts are with his family and all the staff and students at Queen’s.”