Recollection of Neil W. Ashcroft by Anders Carlsson

I had the good fortune to work with Neil Ashcroft as a postdoctoral research associate from 1980 to 1983, studying a range of topics including energetics of metals, rigorous properties of inhomogeneous electron gases, and - of course - metallic hydrogen. When I was deciding between postdoctoral positions, my thesis advisor had recommended going to Neil's group partly because of his "light touch", and that was exactly my experience after I arrived. Neil's sense of humor was always a lift, and he never micromanaged his students and postdocs. Rather he let them explore their own directions within a general topic, with gentle hints and nudges that often bore fruit handsomely. He also understood how important it was for me to take a month-long trip to Sweden one summer, and never worried about the missed work time. I am very thankful to Neil for creating an environment that allowed me to explore many new directions in physics - and enjoy myself while doing it.