R Alan Wilson graduated from Imperial College, London University in 1962 with First Class Honours in Zoology, having specialised in the Parasitology option. He was awarded the Forbes Medal and Prize, and a PhD studentship on a subject of his choosing. Studying the egg and miracidium larva of the Liver Fluke of sheep and cattle, he was awarded a PhD in July 1965. At the same time, he took a part-time Master's course in Biochemistry at Chelsea College, University of London, and was awarded the Diploma in Biochemistry (with distinction) in July 1964. In that year he also obtained a lectureship in the Department of Biology at the new University of York, where he became Senior Lecturer, Reader and Professor and remained until his retirement in 2008. He published one book early in his career, 'An Introduction to Parasitology #4' in the Edward Arnold series Studies in Biology. It went to two editions and sold about 40,000 copies.