John Aitken’s research career began with a PhD in reproductive biology from the University of Cambridge. Following a series of post-doctoral positions at the World Health Organization, Geneva, and the Universities of Edinburgh and Bordeaux, he joined the Medical Research Council’s Reproductive Biology Unit, Edinburgh, to establish a research group in gamete biology with clinical outreach into male infertility. In 1992, John was awarded an Honorary Professorship by the University of Edinburgh and in 1998 received an ScD degree from the University of Cambridge in recognition of his research contributions to gamete biology. In the same year he moved to the University of Newcastle, NSW, as Chair of Biological Sciences and, later, Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Biotechnology and Development. He is currently Pro Vice Chancellor of the Faculty of Health and Medicine and Laureate Professor of Biological Sciences. John is a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Australian Academy of Science. In 2012 he was named as the New South Wales Scientist-of-the-Year.