Latest message from the President & Principal
Monday 9th March 2026
We are still reeling from the news of the loss of Alan in a light aircraft accident in Namibia last Wednesday. For those who knew him less well, I thought a few words on our colleague and friend might help put in context the enormity of our loss.
Alan was a 1987 University of Glasgow veterinary graduate who had intercalated in Physiology. Always it seemed destined for a career focused on asking “why?” and “how?”, a PhD at the University of Bristol followed. A post doc and faculty appointment at Bristol led to Alan arriving at the RVC in 1996, and within a very few years he had published high impact papers in the highest ranking journals. The Structure and Motion Laboratory under Alan’s leadership became one of the leading groups of its kind and its reputation attracted other researchers of the highest calibre.
Alan’s own interests ranged from the biomechanics of the horse limb through to the complex relationships and dynamics of predator-pay interactions....and just about everything in between. Using novel sensors, GPS technologies and specially designed collars, Alan and his colleagues tracked all manner of species, including domestic cats, sheep, and wild animals in Africa. Advisor to, and indeed star of, several popular science documentaries, he was internationally recognised not only as a first-rate researcher, but also as an outstanding science communicator.
With his interest in athletic animals and performance, it is no surprise that he was also an accomplished distance athlete – those of us who tried to keep up with him became acutely aware of the difference between running and jogging.
Alan’s enthusiasm for innovation and exciting projects of course extended to his home environment – the shed, the pond, the tree planting - and, for all our loss at the RVC is enormous, that of his family is immeasurably greater. Our thoughts are with them as we remember our colleague, Alan – scientist, mentor, and friend.
There will be fuller and more formal accounts of Alan’s contributions and many accolades in the coming weeks and months and I know the words above can only add a tiny amount of detail to the most colourful of careers.
As ever,
Stuart