Prof Alexander Irvine Gray, known just as ‘Sandy’ to his students and colleagues alike, is one of the pioneers in phytochemical research, especially when it comes to structure determination of known and unknown complex natural products, using 1D and 2D NMR techniques, chemical taxonomy and phytochemical drug discovery.

Sandy is the second son of Reverend John Gray, a Presbyterian missionary who went to the Cayman Islands in 1948.  Sandy grew up in the Cayman Islands, where many of his family members still live. He came to Scotland for higher studies. He obtained his Pharmacy degree from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, where he also completed his PhD research under the supervision of another world-known authority in phytochemical research, Prof Peter Waterman. Later, he started his academic career as a Lecturer in Phytochemistry (Pharmacognosy) in that university and progressed through the ranks of Senior Lecturer, Reader and Professor. Sandy got married to Sandra and settled in Glasgow.

His journey as a phytochemist started with the chemosystematics and phytochemical investigations of the family Rutaceae. However, he soon expanded his adventure by not staying restricted to one or two plant families or even any specific chemical class of phytochemicals, but by embarking on traditional knowledge-led studies of plants for bioactive phytochemicals. In fact, his move to phytochemical drug discovery was inspired by his childhood memories and observations. When in the Cayman Islands, Sandy saw members of his family and his home community there treated with herbal medicines when orthodox treatments could not offer a cure.

The fact that, for many of the traditional plant remedies, the active principles and how they work were and still are unknown, prompted him to pursue this as a research career in drug discovery. A major portion of his phytochemical drug discovery adventure involved long-standing collaboration with native Colombian traditional healers and from his regular visits to the deep Colombian forests to collect plant materials for further study. He also formed a strong link with Brazilian scientists and worked with various plants from the Amazonian forests. In his own admission, “Some of my most memorable experiences have been working with the Indigenous communities in Amazonia particularly with Muinane, Uitoto and Yukuna people.”