Jeyan Anketell was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), to a Tamil father, Ratnam, from Jaffna, and an English mother, Mary, from South London. He went to school at St Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia (Colombo). He went on to read physics at Imperial College, London University, and stayed on to carry out postgraduate research, obtaining a PhD in physics (optical spectroscopy).
Jeyan then spent two years doing postdoctoral research in physics at CRESS (Centre for Research in Experimental Space Science) at York University, Toronto. He returned to England to train full-time for the priesthood in the Church of England at the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield, while studying for a postgraduate diploma in theology at Leeds University. Jeyan met his first wife, Susan, while in Toronto, and they were married in the UK during his first year at Mirfield.
Interested in most kinds of sports, Jeyan excelled at hockey, playing for Imperial College, for the combined colleges of London University, for Blackheath Hockey Club and for the University of Leeds.
While training for the priesthood, Jeyan spent his summer vacations carrying out research in physics in the physical chemistry department of the University of Sheffield. It had always been his intention to be a self-supporting minister.
On completing his training for the priesthood, he spent three years carrying out postdoctoral research in the School of Physics at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He was ordained deacon and then priest by Ronnie Bowlby, then bishop of Newcastle, and he became a self-supporting member of the university Anglican chaplaincy.
Jeyan returned to Imperial College to conduct research in the Laser Group of the Physics Department. He continued to be a self-supporting minister in the combined West London Anglican-Methodist university chaplaincy. He then spent a year at Avery Hill College, University of London, studying for a postgraduate diploma in science education. Around this time, Jeyan and Susan had an amicable separation.
After a year qualifying as a science teacher at Avery Hill College, Jeyan obtained a post as principal teacher of physics at Dunraven School in Streatham, South London, going on to become head of physics. While living and teaching in Streatham, Jeyan was a member of the Ministry Team at his local parish church, St Leonard’s. Jeyan was lucky enough to meet and marry his second wife, Alison, at St Leonard’s.
After seven years at Dunraven School, Jeyan became Head of Science at Chasetown High School (now Erasmus Darwin Academy) in Staffordshire. Jeyan and Alison moved to Lichfield, where Jeyan continued to be a self-supporting minister in his new local church, St Michael’s on Greenhill, and continued there with permission to officiate in the Diocese of Lichfield.
Jeyan remained at Chasetown High School for 21 years. After retiring from full-time teaching, he continued part-time for another nine years in a number of local secondary schools and then became a volunteer ‘Reading Buddy’ at his local primary school, Scotch Orchard Community School, for a few years. Jeyan and Alison have two adult sons, Daniel and Jonathan.
Jeyan believes that Christians have an obligation to participate in the life of their local community, and over the years (and currently), he has served three terms of office as an elected Lichfield city councillor and two as an elected Lichfield district councillor.
Jeyan has published seven scientific papers in various academic journals. He has also published several theological articles in ‘Modern Believing’ and ‘Signs of the Times’, both published by Modern Church. He is a member of the council and a trustee of Modern Church. He is also a member of the Progressive Christianity Network (PCN) Britain.
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