My thoughts and prayers go out to Janet and the rest of Adrian’s family following the very sad news of his passing. He was such a kind and helpful person, and will be greatly missed by all who knew him….

I would like to pay tribute to Adrian, an academic of international repute and a thoroughly good person. Although I didn’t study statistics, I first met Adrian as an undergraduate student at Glasgow, taking part in a promotional video for the department. He immediately put all student participants at ease and was very encouraging. The next time I met Adrian was when I came for an interview for a lecturer position in applied mathematics and he was the head of school. I recognized the politeness and authority that I had encountered as a student. It was Adrian who phoned me to offer me the position. This was a huge moment in my life and I will be forever grateful to him. After I started as a member of staff, Adrian took the time to make sure I was getting on okay, and I greatly appreciated the effort he made to make me feel welcome. Although I knew Adrian only for a brief time, he has had a huge influence on me at key stages of my career. Thank you Adrian for all that you have done….

I am very saddened to lose my cherished friend Adrian. We first met in 1989 in Glasgow, at WGNC, where our daughters, then aged 1+ played as toddlers. As a fledgling researcher in Obstetrics at the Queen Mother’s Hospital and MRC Blood pressure Unit at the Western Infirmary, I was very fortunate to have the support of Adrian in the analysis of the first paper in my MD thesis, on how the fetus adapts to a rapid needle-guided blood transfusion. We published our findings in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology – and almost to the month, 30 years later, we again published in the same Journal, this time to define the reference range to interpret circulating Placental Growth Factor levels during pregnancy, a powerful new biomarker of placental development and health. Along a journey of friendship spanning over 35 years, we stayed in touch through a cherished annual May Hillwalking week in various Scottish locations – a very special group of friends in their various stages of attempting to climb all 282 Munro’s. Adrian was always so impressive, striding almost effortlessly up the Hills, with wise conversation and his characteristic smile. One of my fondest memories of…

I offer my condolences to Adrian’s family. He was a wonderful man, who I got to know better when he was Head of School and I was Dean of Graduate Studies. Adrian was super friendly but did a fantastic job of working for the interests of Maths and Stats and we had some robust conversations over student allocations- always in a very kind way, but M&S colleagues, he worked hard for you! However, I met Adrian last year at a retirement event for another good colleague and we had a great conversation about finding meaningful activity when no longer working (as I too had stopped work). Adrian shared with me that he volunteered to help those who needed to find financial stability, and if I recall correctly, he was helping co-ordinate a team that helped those to prepare their financial overview prior to seeking debt counselling. It was very inspiring. Adrian was a great statistician, but his reach was far beyond that. If a little bit of this care for others rubs off on all of us, the world will be a better place….

I was hugely saddened to hear of Adrian’s passing. Adrian was just such a wonderful colleague who contributed so much to his subject discipline, to his School of Mathematics and Statistics and to the University of Glasgow. Knowing Adrian and working with him was an incredible privilege. His clarity and his dedication was matched by his gentle character, which made every meeting with him a real pleasure. Latterly at the University I attended some of the wonderful Bowman Lectures which carry his name and which brought such distinguished speakers to the University. Again, attending these was a real privilege for me and colleagues and I look forward to these lectures continuing in tribute to Adrian’s immense contribution to Statistics, to the University of Glasgow which was so lucky to have him as a distinguished Professor, and indeed to a wonderful person. We will all miss him. …

Very saddened to hear. I had recently attended the Bowman lecture, which was brilliant. Condolecences to Janet and all the family….

I was privileged to have known Adrian in later years, during my time as Dean and VP. If ever there was a being of whom one might say, ‘he was gentle, kind and gracious’, it was Adrian. RIP…

I was very sorry to hear that Adrian had passed away. I was a PhD student in the 90s – in maths – but I knew Adrian from the common room and happy discussions where he was always very welcoming and warm. I was a member of staff later, and again just the same: huge care and kindness, and empathy. Although I left Glasgow, it was fun to catch up again over REF, where empathy was a must! And when I found out that the Bowman Lectures had been founded it seemed just excellent. A great idea for a person who was always curious, clever and outward looking. I’ll miss you….

I joined the University from Industry, and first met Adrian when he was Head of School. I was nervous presenting to a full School forum of Academics, and shared my concern at presenting to a lecture room full of professional speakers. Adrian quickly put me at ease with the comment “They like to think so….. you’ll be fine!”. This summed up my interactions with Adrian, he always knew what to say to put people at ease, and to make them feel valued. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time….

I was lucky to work with Adrian on the Urban Big Data Centre project from 2014 – 2019. He was the kindest, nicest man; gentle and unassuming but so highly intelligent and capable. My condolences to his family and friends. RIP….

Adrian was such a lovely colleague. I worked with him many years ago on REF Impact and he was so patient with me as we navigated this new element of REF. He was one of the kindest and most patient colleagues I’d ever worked with. I feel very lucky that I met Adrian. My deepest condolences to his family. Adrian made a difference to those in his life and was loved….

Adrian was a gracious, generous and kind colleague who approached everyone and everything with a warm smile.  His honesty and collegiality shone through all his interactions.  He was a true gentleman and scholar.  He will be a huge loss to all the communities he was a part of and will be much missed. …

I was very fortunate to have Adrian as one of my lecturers during my Statistics degree at the University of Glasgow from 2002-2006. I had begun a degree in maths feeling uninspired and had never intended to be a statistician and yet, 20 years on, I still find myself in this profession. Adrian, among other wonderful lecturers I had during my time at Glasgow, has a big share in his I ended up here! I always credit the Statistics Department at Glasgow for inspiring me to see just how useful the subject can be. Adrian was a thoughtful, caring and insightful teacher who I enjoyed learning from because he shared his own passion for the subject. When working on my PhD at Strathclyde, I was part of the organising committee for the 2009 Young Statisticians’ Meeting in Glasgow. I knew Adrian would be a perfect keynote speaker for this conference, able to share his statistical work with a diverse audience of early career statisticians from different sectors in the UK. Fortunately, he agreed to speak and was generous with his time and support of our event. His talk ‘Statistics with a Human Face’ proved to be every bit as…

It is hard to find the right words. Adrian was not only an exceptional academic, but also a genuinely kind, generous and thoughtful person. I had the privilege of doing my PhD under his guidance. He believed in me from the beginning, and I honestly don’t think I would have started a PhD without his encouragement. Everything that has come afterwards in my academic career owes something to his support, generosity and confidence in me. I will always remember his kindness and the way he made those around him feel supported. Thank you for everything, Adrian. You will be deeply missed and always remembered. Rest in peace. Sincere condolences to his family and friends. …

I always enjoyed Adrian’s lectures (even if I didn’t always understand them!). I appreciated his generosity of spirit in the ‘getting to know me’ sections of his lectures which were a lovely break in the middle of all the technical details. He was an excellent ceilidh dance partner and I am privileged and grateful to have learned from and been twirled by him. Rest in peace Professor xx…