Alan Walker

Before becoming a full time writer I earned a living trying to match my basic research on infectious diseases of livestock animals with better ways of preventing or treating those diseases. A frustrating, thought provoking, and occasionally successful enterprise, but a good starting point for my book Invent or Discover: the Art of Useful Science.

I was fortunate to do much of this work in tropical countries, especially in Africa, and from a base in the fine veterinary school of the University of Edinburgh.

One of the simpler ways of converting basic science to practical use is by writing technical guides. Three that I have been involved in so far are: Arthropods of Humans and Domestic Animals; Ticks of Domestic Animals of Africa; and Ticks of Domestic Animals of the Mediterranean. These are all heavily illustrated by myself. Currently I am collaborating with Professor Steve Barker of the University of Brisbane on a similar guide to the ticks of Australia.

Continuing in the medical and veterinary field, my current project will be titled Contrary Life and the Technical Fix. This tells stories of specific conditions such as malaria, diabetes, and cancer, and the counter-intuitive ways in which these maladies interact with human bodies. The strange biology is contrasted with the technology of inventing treatments.

My wife and I live in the wonderful city of Edinburgh, and we enjoy walking and botanising throughout the Scottish countryside and mountains.