I am a fish immunologist with nearly 40 years of research experience. I am a Past President of the International Society of Developmental and Comparative Immunology, and in 2013 was given Honorary life membership of the International Society of Fish & Shellfish Immunology. In 1998 I was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, and in 2007 elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE). In the same year I was awarded the RSE Alexander Ninian Bruce prize for “his outstanding contribution to our understanding of the immune system of fish, particularly salmonids”. In 2014 I was awarded an Honorary DSc from the University of Hull. I am Editor of Fish & Shellfish Immunology and on the editorial boards of Veterinary Immunology & Immunopathology, and Molecular Immunology.