Paul A. Racey

Paul Adrian Racey FRSE is a British zoologist specialising in mammalian reproductive biology and bat ecology. He served as Regius Professor of Natural History at the University of Aberdeen from 1993 until his retirement in 2009, and subsequently held an honorary visiting professorship at the University of Exeter. He is widely regarded as a leading authority on bats, and the species Pipistrellus raceyi was named in his honour.

Career In 1973 Racey was appointed Lecturer in Zoology at the University of Aberdeen, progressing to Senior Lecturer (1980) and then to a personal chair as Professor of Zoology (1985). He served as Head of the Department of Zoology from 1987 to 1993. In 1993 he was appointed Regius Professor of Natural History, a chair he held until his retirement in 2009.

Following his retirement, Racey was awarded a Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship (2010–2011) to continue research on bat ecology and conservation in Madagascar. Since 2007 he has held an Honorary Visiting Professorship at the Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter.

Research Racey's principal research interests are mammalian reproductive biology, bat ecology, and conservation biology. At Aberdeen he established five research groups covering: the ecology of temperate-zone bats; animal energetics; marine mammalogy; molecular genetics in ecology; and the ecology and conservation of Malagasy bats. He served on the Scientific Advisory Board of Bat Conservation International from 1985 onwards, and chaired the IUCN Species Survival Commission Bat Specialist Group from 1986 to 2015.

Honours and awards Gerrit S. Miller Award, North American Society for Bat Research (1995) – for outstanding service and contribution to chiropteran biology Silver Medal, Mammal Society (1996) – for outstanding contribution to mammalian reproduction and ecology Named one of 50 "Conservation Heroes" by BBC Wildlife (2008) Lifetime Achievement Award, Bat Conservation Trust (2009) Honorary Membership, American Society of Mammalogists (2010) – for distinguished service to mammalogy Honorary Life Membership, Bat Conservation Trust (2015)

Selected publications Kunz, T.H. and Racey, P.A. (eds.) (1998). Bat Biology and Conservation. Smithsonian Institution Press. Hutson, A.M., Mickleburgh, S.P., and Racey, P.A. (2001). Microchiropteran Bats: Global Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. Fleming, T.H. and Racey, P.A. (eds.) (2009). Island Bats: Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation. University of Chicago Press.