| RefNo | EC/1987/01 |
| Previous numbers | Cert XXII, 48 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Alexander, Robert McNeill: certificate of election to the Royal Society |
| Date | 1986 |
| Description | Citation typed |
| Citation | Alexander is specially distinguished for his work in the field of Biomechanics in which he is the leading British authority; his contributions have also been widely acclaimed internationally. Until 1970 he was mainly concerned with fish, investigating the mechanics of swimbladders, tails and jaw mechanisms. Subsequently, he has concentrated on the mechanics of terrestrial locomotion, notably walking and running in mammals, particularly on gait selection and its relationship to anatomy and to the structural design of skeletons and muscles. Using films, force-platform analysis and tensile testing, he has formulated theories of optimum gait selection and safety factors. These have been tested in a wide range of mammals, including humans, and have been found to have wide applicability. They have also been used to calculate dinosaur speeds and to predict design constraints in large dinosaurs. Alexander's work is characterised by an elegant mixture of field studies, laboratory experimentation and theoretical modelling. He is an excellent teacher with an encyclopaedic knowledge of Zoology, both Vertebrate and Invertebrate. His researches have been published in more than 100 papers and six widely acclaimed books (e.g. Animal Mechanics; Biomechanics; Locomotion of Animals; Functional Design in Fishes). |
| AccessStatus | Closed |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA4270 | Alexander; Robert McNeill (1934 - 2016) | 1934 - 2016 |