Nobel Prize winner Sir Harry Kroto has spoken of his anger at plans to close a university chemistry department and why he cannot keep his honorary degree.

Professor Kroto, who won the Nobel Prize in 1996 for his co-discovery of fullerenes (a form of carbon) during research at the University of Sussex, said he was livid at plans to scrap chemistry degrees at the university.

The university revealed plans to rename the chemistry department "chemical biology" and cut academic staff from 14 to seven earlier this week.

Vice-chancellor of the university Alasdair Smith is to be called before a Commons committee inquiry to justify his controversial decision. He has been asked to give evidence at the science and technology committee inquiry on Monday, March 27, which will examine the reasons behind the university's plans to axe the chemistry department.

Professor Kroto has recorded a video message for the university senate, the highest academic decision-making body, which meets today to discuss the plans.

Professor Kroto, who now works at Florida State University, told The Argus: "I don't want to send my degree back. It's the honorary degree that means the most to me. I was at Sussex for 37 years and only left because I had to retire. But I feel this is the best way to protest and get people to sit up and take notice."

He said that if the closure went ahead, he would ask the university to stop using his name on promotional material.

He said: "I never thought that Sussex would be a university to make a decision to go into the minor league. The rot has to be stopped here or it will become just an arts college.

"I don't believe you can be a university without strength across the board."

He said that by closing the chemistry department, Sussex would show it was not prepared to fully support the sciences and put off physics and biology applicants.

He said: "Our society has benefited so much from science and technology and that's not recognised.

"We have serious issues about sustainability and survival of the human race and we are not going to solve them if we reduce the number of scientists.

"Chemistry is the most important part of science. It is the fundamental base to everything else. It's lunacy to think you can focus on one area of chemistry without anything else."

Professor Kroto gave back honorary degrees to Hertfordshire and Exeter universities when they closed chemistry departments.

He said he would have to follow this precedent if Sussex scrapped chemistry degrees.