Alan Rayner (born 1950) is a British biologist and educator.

Biography

Rayner was born in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city prope ...

, Kenya, as the youngest of two children. His mother was the Deputy Mayor of Nairobi and his father was a Plant Pathologist, working on coffee rust and coffee berry diseases. During his years in Kenya, Rayner received little schooling, but with the help of his sister learned the rudiments of reading, writing and arithmetic. The family moved to London in 1958. Rayner obtained B.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Natural Sciences at

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the cit ...

, and was a reader in biology at the

University of Bath (Virgil, Georgics II) , mottoeng = Learn the culture proper to each after its kind , established = 1886 (Merchant Venturers Technical College) 1960 (Bristol College of Science and Technology) 1966 (Bath University of Technology) 1971 (univ ...

from 1985 to 2011. Rayner has published over 160 academic papers, articles and book chapters seven academic texts in the field of biology, and was president of the

British Mycological Society The British Mycological Society is a learned society established in 1896 to promote the study of fungi. Formation The British Mycological Society (BMS) was formed by the combined efforts of two local societies: the Woolhope Naturalists' Field ...

in 1998. He has been a BP Venture Research Fellow and a Visiting

Miller A miller is a person who operates a Gristmill, mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Mill (grinding), Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surname ...

Professor at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2010. In 2001, Rayner hosted "The Language of Water", an event combining scientific and artistic material that led to the BBC Radio 4 series ''Water Story''. In 2006 and 2007, he hosted "Unhooked Thinking" part I and II, which examined various aspects of addiction. Since 2001, Rayner has been actively involved in developing his concept of "natural inclusionality", a philosophical approach to

sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livin ...

. He has two daughters with his wife Marion.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rayner, Alan English biologists British mycologists English people of Kenyan descent Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Academics of the University of Bath 1950 births Living people