Trevor Goodwin was one of the foremost biochemists of his generation and a powerful force in university education for nearly 50 years.

He began his career at Liverpool University before the war, when, working with Professor R. A. Morton, he helped to establish the link between vitamin A, vision and carotene. This work culminated in the wartime campaign to “eat more carrots and prevent night-blindness” — although he was far from fond of carrots himself.

After the war he continued his work in Liverpool, on vitamins A and B, on carotenoids, and later sterols and triterpenoids. His growing reputation led to his appointment to a chair in Aberystwyth in 1959, and to his being invited to return to Liverpool in 1966 as Johnston Professor of Biochemistry and Head of Department, a position he held until his retirement in 1983.

During his career his scientific output was prolific, eventually totalling about 500 papers and about 30 books. Achievements were marked by many national and international awards, including the Roussel Prize, the Morton Lecture and the Ciba Medal, and culminating in his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society, and investiture as a CBE. After a long period of service as chairman of the Biochemical Society, he was elected an honorary member in 1985, a rare honour.

Besides a great breadth of academic knowledge, Goodwin possessed the even rarer quality of wisdom. He was very perceptive and a good judge of character, and he had the ability to analyse a complex situation and act decisively. He was a master at multi-tasking before the term was invented.

These attributes were recognised in the university, and Goodwin did long service as head of department, Dean of the Science Faculty, and on numerous committees driving university policy, operation and development.

Nationally, he served on many bodies including research councils, the Royal Society and the University Grants Committee. Locally, he was a school governor and had other roles and responsibilities in education in the Wirral.

Despite this enormous range of formal responsibility, Goodwin always made a lot of time for his research teams and those under his care in the department. He was always supportive and caring, and followed with keen interest the careers of his group members and those who had moved on.

He was a great family man, who was interested in everything and especially valued travelling, reading, gardening, theatre, music and sport; he was a great cricketer in his youth. He came from relatively humble beginnings, but always said that listening avidly to BBC radio in his youth had shown him that there was a bigger world out there, and he wanted to be part of it.

Goodwin’s wife, Kathleen, predeceased him and he is survived by his three daughters.

Professor Trevor (T. W.) Goodwin, biochemist, was born on June 22, 1916. He died on October 7, 2008, aged 92