Published: 23 Jul 2015 | Last Updated: 26 Aug 2016 12:52:25

The Royal Veterinary College has awarded Professor R. McNeill Alexander an honorary degree for his contributions to biomechanics at the at the 2015 graduation ceremony. 

Unfortunately, Professor Alexander could not attend the ceremony to collect his DSc in person but was presented for the award by Professor Alan Wilson.

Following the completion of his PhD at Cambridge and DSc from the University of Wales, Professor Alexander emerged as a key figure in biomechanics in the 1960s and has remained so since. His contribution to this field has been remarkable, having written more than 250 papers as well as influential books including Functional Design in Fishes and Locomotion in Animals. To add to these texts, which are highly cited and respected by peers, Professor Alexander is a Fellow at the Royal Society and former Secretary of the Zoological Society of London. 

Having contributed to numerous fundamental principles in biomechanics, Professor Alexander has had considerable impact on scientists within the Structure and Motion Lab, and the research they conduct. Not only has his work exploring dinosaur locomotion proven influential to Professor John Hutchinson's work in the lab but Professor Wilson has described him as a "guide" and "mentor". 

During his oration at the graduation ceremony Professor Wilson succinctly sums up the impact made by Professor R. McNeill Alexander as follows:

"For any question or topic one wishes to consider working on the first port of call for us is 'what does Alexander say?'"