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| Aubrey Manning | |
|---|---|
| Name | Aubrey Manning |
| Birth date | 1930-05-29 |
| Birth place | Bristol |
| Death date | 2018-07-20 |
| Death place | Edinburgh |
| Nationality | United Kingdom |
| Fields | Zoology, Ethology, Animal behaviour |
| Institutions | University of Edinburgh, National Museum of Scotland, Royal Society of Edinburgh |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford, St John's College, Cambridge |
| Doctoral advisor | Niko Tinbergen |
| Known for | Animal behaviour research, broadcasting, public engagement |
Aubrey Manning Aubrey Manning was a British zoologist and broadcaster known for contributions to ethology, animal behaviour research and popular science communication. He combined academic leadership at the University of Edinburgh with public outreach via broadcasting on BBC Radio 3, BBC Two, and print contributions to outlets such as New Scientist and the Times Higher Education Supplement. His work intersected with figures and institutions across British science and European natural history traditions.
Born in Bristol in 1930, Manning was educated in England and pursued undergraduate and postgraduate studies at University of Oxford and St John's College, Cambridge. At Cambridge he trained under pioneers of ethology and behavioural ecology influenced by scholars like Niko Tinbergen, Konrad Lorenz, and contacts with researchers at Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Physiology and the Zoological Society of London. His formative years connected him with students and faculty from University of Cambridge, University of Manchester, and University College London, embedding him in networks that included members of the Royal Society and the British Ecological Society.
Manning built a career at the University of Edinburgh, where he held chairs and administrative roles, collaborating with colleagues across departments such as School of Biological Sciences and centres like the James Hutton Institute. His research spanned comparative studies of mammal and bird behaviour, drawing on methods from field biology and laboratory-based behavioural ecology. He published studies relating to territoriality, communication, and sensory biology, engaging with contemporary debates involving scholars at University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Glasgow, University of Aberdeen, Imperial College London, University of Leeds, University of Sheffield, University of Southampton, University of Birmingham, University of Bristol, University of York, University of Exeter, University of Liverpool, University of Dundee, University of St Andrews, Queen's University Belfast, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, University of Leuven, Max Planck Society, Royal Holloway, University of London, University of Reading, University of Sussex, University of East Anglia, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, University of Warwick, University of Kent, University of Bath, University of Surrey, University of Hull, University of Kent, University of Lancaster, University of Otago, University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, and international collaborators from Smithsonian Institution and Natural History Museum, London.
He served on advisory bodies linked to conservation and museum practice, interacting with organisations including the National Museum of Scotland, Natural Environment Research Council, Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scottish Natural Heritage, Nature Conservancy Council, World Wide Fund for Nature, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, European Molecular Biology Organization, and policy groups within the Scottish Government and United Kingdom Parliament.
Manning became a prominent figure in broadcasting, presenting series on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, BBC Two, and contributing to programmes on Channel 4 and ITV. He worked alongside producers and presenters associated with institutions such as the British Broadcasting Corporation, Royal Television Society, British Science Association, Royal Institution, Cheltenham Science Festival, Hay Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, Scottish Parliament outreach, and the Natural History Museum public programmes. His media presence connected him with science communicators including contributors to New Scientist, The Guardian, The Times, The Independent, The Telegraph, Nature, Science, Scientific American, The Lancet, and magazines like New Statesman and Prospect.
Manning's public lectures and appearances involved collaborations with cultural institutions such as Royal Society of Edinburgh, Royal Institution, Royal Geographical Society, British Council, European Commission science initiatives, and universities across Europe and the Commonwealth.
Manning authored and edited books and articles aimed at both academic and general audiences, contributing to journals and publisher lists connected with Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Harvard University Press, Penguin Books, Routledge, Springer, Nature Publishing Group, and periodicals such as New Scientist, Nature, Science, The Times Higher Education Supplement, and BBC Wildlife Magazine. His titles addressed animal cognition, evolution, and public understanding of science, positioning his work within discourse alongside authors and scientists from Charles Darwin's legacy, the Darwin Correspondence Project, and contemporary thinkers from Richard Dawkins, E. O. Wilson, Stephen Jay Gould, Konrad Lorenz, Niko Tinbergen, Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, Thomas Henry Huxley, John Maynard Smith, W. D. Hamilton, George C. Williams, Richard Leakey, David Attenborough, Desmond Morris, Colin Tudge, Edward O. Wilson, Nikolaas Tinbergen, Iain McGilchrist, Steven Pinker, Daniel Dennett, Terrence Deacon, and other notable figures in biology and science writing.
Manning received recognition from bodies including the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the British Academy (honorary interactions), Zoological Society of London, Royal Geographical Society, Order of the British Empire, academic fellowships at St John's College, Cambridge and the University of Edinburgh, and awards from the British Science Association, Royal Institution, European Science Foundation, and cultural honours associated with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Cheltenham Science Festival.
Manning lived in Edinburgh and engaged with civic and cultural life tied to institutions like the National Museum of Scotland, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Students' Association, Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Wildlife Trust, and local conservation groups. His legacy persists in curricula at universities such as University of Edinburgh, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and in broadcasting archives at the BBC and museums including the Natural History Museum, London and the National Museum of Scotland. He is remembered in obituaries and commemorations by organisations like the Royal Society of Edinburgh, British Ecological Society, Zoological Society of London, Scottish Government, and media outlets including BBC News, The Guardian, The Times, and The Scotsman.
Category:British zoologists Category:1930 births Category:2018 deaths