My father, Tony Foord, who has died aged 78, was a man of deep principles built on a faith in human nature, technological progress and the power of the arts and music, in particular, to uplift and inspire people. These principles manifested themselves in his work as a university lecturer and in his other activities in Loughborough, the place he made his home. He also had an enormous sense of fun.

Tony grew up during the second world war in the shadow of the Esso Oil refinery at Fawley, on the edge of the New Forest, where his father worked as a cashier. This exposure to new technology prompted Tony's application to Birmingham University to study chemical engineering, where he gained a first- class degree and a doctorate.

A spell researching heavy water at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Harwell, Oxfordshire, was followed by six years as an engineer and planner for the Distillers Company in London. During this time he entered a competition run by the Observer to find young arts critics, in which entrants were invited to satirise arts writers who worked on the paper. Tony won with a piece on Peter Heyworth, the classical music critic. (The theatre section was won by a piece on Kenneth Tynan by a very young Michael Billington.)

Life in business didn't suit Tony's temperament so when, in 1966, Don Freshwater, his tutor at Birmingham, suggested that he join him in the chemical engineering department at the new University of Technology, in Loughborough, Tony jumped at the opportunity. There he found his life's work, helping to create the new courses and then teaching them for the next 30 years.

Tony was greatly loved; by his students, for his laidback style and the attention he paid them; and by other members of the department who appreciated his dedication and humour. He was tall, his presence enlivened by a heavy squint. He never felt it held him back, and even professed to using it to his advantage. His favourite trick was to hold his audience's attention with one eye, while looking out of the other, for example to read documents upside down on a professor's desk.

Tony was able to combine his love of writing with his love of music by becoming the classical music critic for the Loughborough Echo, a role he fulfilled for more than 40 years. He also cared deeply for the built environment and was a leading light in the local civic trust, where he did his best to encourage excellence in the architecture of Loughborough.

He is survived by his wife, Ann, his children, Nicholas, Cassandra and myself, and three grandchildren.