18 May 2006

The 19th Adam Neville Lecture

Photo Opportunity: 3.45 pm, Friday May 19th,
MSI Large Lecture Theatre, School of Life Sciences
University of Dundee
(Enter at Wellcome Trust Biocentre main entrance)

TV and radio presenter and world authority on animal behaviour, Professor Aubrey Manning from the University of Edinburgh, will present the University of Dundee’s prestigious Adam Neville Lecture in the School of Life Sciences on Friday, 19 May.

Professor Manning’s work with radio and TV for the BBC led to a new interest in the earth sciences and the way in which they integrate with the life sciences. He presented BBC2’s "Earth Story" and "Talking Landscapes". Most recently he could be heard on Radio 4 series such as ‘The Sounds of Life', which attempted to recreate the first sounds heard on earth and explored natural sounds ranging from the seabed to the jungle, and ‘The Rules of Life’ which attempts to get across the way natural selection operates at all stages of an animal’s life history.

Professor Manning is one of the world’s leading authorities on animal behaviour. He read Zoology at University College London and obtained his PhD on animal behaviour at Merton College Oxford under Niko Tinbergen. After 2 years National Service in the Royal Artillery he joined the University of Edinburgh as an Assistance Lecturer in Zoology rising to Professor of Natural History. His main research area was in the genetics, development and evolution of behaviour in Drosophila and mice. He is Professor Emeritus after retiring in 1997.

Recognition of Professor Manning's contribution to the public understanding of science came in 2003 with the Zoological Society of London Silver Medal, just one of many honours to be bestowed on him. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, holds honorary degrees from Toulouse, the Open University and St. Andrews, and was awarded an OBE in 1998. He has been Chairman of the Scottish Wildlife Trust and a Trustee of the National Museums of Scotland and Project Wallacea.

The Adam Neville Lecture is held in honour of the Principal of the University of Dundee from 1978-1987 who had the foresight to realise that research excellence in the Life Sciences was the key to the University’s future and who provided the financial backing and support that allowed the then fledgling Department of Biochemistry to survive and eventually to prosper. Without his help developments such as the Wellcome Trust Biocentre would never have happened.

Professor Manning’s presentation is entitled "Life and the Earth: Interlocking Histories" and will take place on Friday, 19 May at 4 pm in the MSI Large Lecture Theatre, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee.

For media enquiries contact:

Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk