R. John Aitken received his PhD in reproductive biology from the University of Cambridge in 1973. After postdoctoral positions with the University of Bordeaux and World Health Organization, Geneva,  he joined the MRC Reproductive Biology Unit at the University of Edinburgh in 1977 to establish a research program in male reproduction. In 1998 he moved to the University of Newcastle, NSW, where he became Pro Vice Chancellor of the Faculty of Health and Medicine. He  is now the Distinguished Emeritus Laureate Professor of Biological Sciences.  His research topics mainly include: reproductive biology, demography and redox chemistry.