Alan Harvey

Born in London, UK, Alan Harvey holds a BA and a MA from the University of Cambridge, and a PhD in visual neurophysiology from the Australian National University, Canberra. After post-doctoral positions in the USA and at Flinders University in Adelaide, Alan Harvey joined UWA as a Lecturer in 1984. In 1991, he was elected as a Quatercentenary Visiting Fellow at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. In his time at UWA, Professor Harvey’s laboratory research interests have included neural development, ageing, neurotrauma and neurotherapy, with an emphasis on visual system and spinal cord but including studies on functional repair of peripheral nerves. In his adult CNS injury studies he has tested a range of approaches including combinations of gene therapy, pharmacotherapy, cell transplantation and bioengineering to enhance neuronal survival and axon regeneration.

He has received many years of funding from the NHMRC and ARC, published almost 250 papers/book chapters, and serves on several Editorial Boards. In 2017 Oxford University Press published his highly regarded book ‘Music, Evolution, and the Harmony of Souls’, reprinted in paperback in 2018. He has been a Board member of the Neurological Council of WA, the Reproductive Technology Council (RTC), and the Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science. He has chaired Scientific Advisory Committees for the RTC and Perron Institute. He is currently an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at UWA and the Perron Institute.