John COCHRAN

John was a major influence in my formative years as a grad student. He was patient and compassionate. In experimental physics, he exemplified the utmost integrity. I also remember fondly his great sense of humour.

It was my distinct honour to have John as my Ph.D. supervisor. I look back so fondly at my time in the magnetism group at SFU, and what John, Tony and Brett were able to achieve both scientifically and in terms of a group spirit. I still can't believe how much I learned from John and how this continually affects my decisions and modus operandi today. Words can't express my gratitude. He will be sorely missed

Fond memories of John during my time as a graduate student at SFU back in the 1980's.
John ALWAYS attended student lunchtime talks and he set a great example of how to get the most out of them.
I always loved it when he would begin to ask a question by saying something like “explain it to me as though I were a five year old”!

JFC was extraordinary in the freedom he gave students. An unusually large proportion of them became distinguished physicists in their own right. He was a big man in the largest sense.

John was a great scientists. He made many contributions to magnetism of metals and molecular beam epitaxy structures. His Brillouin Light Scattering studies played an essential role in understanding the physics of magnetic nanostructures. He raised a number of outstanding young scientists. He will be always remembered as a great colleague and caring friend.