Brian Follett

Brian Follett is a distinguished academic and researcher in physiology and neuroscience, currently holding a Non-stipendiary Professor position in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford since 2002. He has held significant leadership roles, including Vice-Chancellor of the University of Warwick and Chair of the Arts and Humanities Research Council. His work focuses on the neuroendocrinological basis of seasonal breeding and photoperiodism.

• Education: Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Bristol (1964)

Research interests center on photoperiodism and biological clocks in birds and mammals. His studies investigate how organisms use light detection (via brain photoreceptors in birds and eyes in mammals) and circadian clocks to regulate seasonal reproduction. He has extensively explored the neuroendocrine pathways leading to gonadotrophin secretion and gonadal development.

Scientific contributions include seminal work on thyroid hormone enzyme dynamics in Japanese quail and molecular mechanisms of photoperiodic calendars. His awards include FRS (1984) and a Knighthood (1992), recognizing his impact on biological rhythms research.