A tribute to Professor Donald W. Mason (1934 - 2021)
Every great place has a story — and ours begins with Professor Don Mason.
For more than two decades, Don was a cornerstone of the MRC Cellular Immunology Unit at the Dunn School. His research broke new ground, his curiosity was infectious, and his mentorship shaped countless young scientists who have since carried his influence around the world. Those who knew him remember not only his brilliance, but also his generosity — the way he believed that science was, above all, a shared endeavour.
On 12th June 2023, his story came full circle. His widow, Mahalla, joined by family, friends, and colleagues, officially opened the Don Mason Facility of Flow Cytometry — a place now carrying his name, and his spirit. It was a moment filled with both pride and tenderness, as the community gathered to celebrate a man whose work continues to inspire so many.
Today, the facility stands as a living tribute — a space where scientists come together to explore, question, and discover, just as Don did. Managed by Dr Robert (Bobby) Hedley, it houses the latest in flow cytometry technology, supporting research across and beyond the Dunn School. Each experiment, each breakthrough, feels like another chapter in the story Don began.
We are truly honoured to have this facility bear his name. It reminds us every day that while science moves forward, it does so on the foundations built by those who believed deeply in its power — people like Professor Don Mason.
The Legacy of Professor Don Mason
The story of Professor Don Mason is one of brilliance, curiosity, and quiet determination — a journey that helped shape modern immunology.
Don joined the MRC Cellular Immunology Unit at the Dunn School in 1973, soon after completing medical school at Oxford — a remarkable second career following his earlier work in nuclear physics. Under the guidance of the Unit’s first Director, Sir Jim Gowans, and later Alan Williams, Don became a driving force in the field, helping to unravel the mysteries of the immune system.
In the late 1970s and 1980s, his pioneering work with monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometry transformed how scientists could identify and study immune cells. Don’s meticulous experiments — often involving long, late-night journeys to London to use the only available flow cytometer — revealed how specific cell types functioned in immune responses. His discoveries laid the groundwork for many of today’s therapeutic monoclonal antibodies and helped revive the study of regulatory T cells, key players in autoimmune disease research.
When Alan Williams passed away in 1992, Don became the Unit’s final Director, leading until its closure in 1999. Throughout his career, he embodied the spirit of innovation — blending scientific precision with deep curiosity and a willingness to embrace new technology.
His expertise in physics proved invaluable when overseeing Oxford’s first in-house FACS-II flow cytometer, a machine that revolutionized cellular analysis at the time. Don’s technical insight and leadership helped establish a foundation for the advanced, high-throughput cytometry techniques we rely on today.
Even decades later, as researchers use modern tools powered by machine learning and multidimensional analysis, Don’s influence remains clear. He championed the belief that “technique is everything” — and his legacy continues to live on in the methods, discoveries, and scientists who followed in his footsteps.