The family of assistant research professor Sam Hawxwell who died in his sleep on 8 February, 2008, aged 27, paid tribute to their "wonderful, gorgeous and brilliant son".
Friends and colleagues of Mr Hawxwell, originally of Weston Coyney, Stoke-on-Trent, also described him as an "academic genius" and a "true gent".
Mr Hawxwell had moved to the U.S. 12 months ago, and was living in New York at the time he died.
The former Longton High School pupil, and student at Stoke-on-Trent VI Form College, graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2003 with a first class Masters degree in chemistry, and was awarded a PhD in crystal engineering in 2007, which resulted in five publications in chemistry journals.
This led to him being given a post-doctoral fellowship at New York University’s Molecular Design Institute, and he was promoted to the position of assistant research professor shortly before his death.
Mr Hawxwell, who was a fan of Port Vale football club, passed away in his sleep while at his apartment in Greenwich Village.
His parents, Mike and Sue, and his younger sister Laura, spoke of their shock after being told of his unexpected death.
Mr Hawxwell senior said: "You just don’t become a professor in your 20s, and we are so proud of what he achieved in such a short time.
"The university where he worked is about to revamp one of its laboratories, and they are going to dedicate it to Sam. That’s how highly he was regarded."
Mr Hawxwell was well travelled, and had hundreds of friends all around the world.
His mother said: "His friends described him as a ‘true gent’, ‘the nicest person anyone could wish to meet’ and said he had ‘such an infectious personality’.
"He was such a selfless person, and never saw ill in anyone. Sam was our wonderful, gorgeous and brilliant son, and a star."
Sister Laura added: "He touched so many people’s lives all around the world. And he could talk to anyone at any level – nothing ever fazed him."
Music lover Mr Hawxwell had played the tenor sax while in the Stoke South Wind Band, and was a huge fan of artists including Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles, Oasis, Simon and Garfunkel, and Fleetwood Mac.
His father said: "He adored New York. We had all gone out to see him there. And while he was in America he really got in to American sports. He was a huge fan of the Yankees baseball team."
Professor Michael Ward, head of the department of chemistry at the University of Sheffield, sent a letter of condolence to the family after learning of Sam’s death.
It said: "Having spent so many years studying here as an undergraduate and then as a PhD student, Sam was well known to the staff and was a very popular member of the department.
"He impressed his tutors from the start, worked well, and achieved consistently excellent scores at the end of every year.
"Sam was the nicest and most agreeable person you could wish to meet, always ready with a big smile and a friendly word.
"I was very grateful for the fact he happily helped out members of my research group from time to time who needed assistance with crystallography that was beyond me to provide."
