Obituary Mike Bruford (1963-2023)

It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of Michael William Bruford (Mike), well known to the community as a passionate scientist, but above all as an enthusiastic and friendly colleague. Mike was born in Cardiff (Wales) on 6 June 1963 and departed this world at the age of 59 on 13 April 2023. His remarkable journey began in Dinas Powys, near Cardiff, where he spent his formative years and received his education. It was during his early days that he became captivated by the wonders of life through David Attenborough's iconic series, ‘Life on Earth’, sparking a profound love for the incredible diversity of our planet. Following his schooling, Mike embarked on an undergraduate programme in Biomolecular Science at the University of Portsmouth. In 1986, he joined the University of Leicester, contributing to developing and applying DNA fingerprints in the behavioural ecology of wild birds. Then, he pursued his PhD under the guidance of Professor Terry Burke, focussing on ‘Hypervariable markers in the chicken genome’. Although his postgraduate work revolved around domestic chicken genetics, Mike's unwavering dedication led him to join the Zoological Society of London's conservation genetics group, led by the late Professor Bob Wayne in 1990. Here, he delved into wildlife genetics, utilising the cutting-edge techniques he had honed during his chicken research to address pressing questions in conservation biology. In recognition of his expertise and contributions, Mike assumed the role of head of the genetics group at the Zoological Society of London in 1994, leading the team until 1999 when he became a reader and then a professor (2001) at Cardiff University. Mike dedicated his career to understanding and halting biodiversity loss. Using genetics as a key approach to address problems in molecular ecology and evolutionary biology, he contributed to establishing the field of conservation genetics. Mike's work extended from wildlife to livestock genetics and spanned a breath of species across the tropics and temperate latitudes. The nineties saw the rapid development and application of advanced statistical methods in population genetics through the application of coalescent theory, which Mike was keen to introduce to conservation genetics. Such interest led him to hire a broad range of postdocs and PhD students that would lead to the application of sophisticated approaches in conservation, revolutionising our understanding of the processes that lead to the current patterns of genetic variation. Addressing problems in conservation led him to get involved with a broad range of taxa from Bornean orangutans and African gorillas to Chinese pandas, green turtles and Saker falcons among many, always using state of the art genetic and statistical approaches to underpin species conservation strategies. Throughout his career, Mike supervised and mentored over 70 PhD students and postdocs, remaining throughout the time a kind voice supporting the career development of many of us. Mike had a particular interest in Welsh sheep and had detailed knowledge about his country's sheep production system and the underpinning genetics of its breeds. He championed throughout his career the conservation of genetic resources in livestock, particularly those representing breeds that were locally adapted to historical breeding processes and exposure to extreme environments. He studied sheep, cattle and goats throughout Eurasia and Africa, trying to develop a more in-depth understanding of their domestication history and the processes leading to the establishment of many of the breeds that exist today. He was also passionate about South American Camelids, which were a focus of his attention during the early 2000s when through the application of mitochondrial DNA sequencing and microsatellite markers he contributed to identifying the origin of the llama and alpaca, as well as their extensive hybridisation. Later in his life, with the development of genomic methods, Mike identified the European colonial period as the time of the hybridisation between alpaca and llama. His concern with the continuous decline in species diversity, despite worldwide conservation efforts, led him to establish the IUCN Conservation Genetics Specialist Group (CGSG), which he co-chaired with Gernot Segelbacher during the last decade of his life. As chair of the CGSG, he pushed for establishing groups of regional experts in conservation genetics within the CGSG to facilitate overcoming language and cultural barriers while providing support and applying conservation genetics tools to local problems. Mike played a crucial role in proposing that the IUCN (2020 Wild Conservation Congress) incorporate measuring genetic diversity in all its future activities. Mike was also director of the Frozen Ark charity, a biobank of deep-frozen genetic material from endangered species, and led the CryoArks initiative, which brings together the UK's zoological biobanks. He was also a co-director of the Sustainable Places Institute at Cardiff University (along with Terry Marsden), and in 2019, he became Cardiff University's dean for environmental sustainability. Throughout his career, Mike Bruford left an indelible mark on the field of molecular ecology, evolutionary and conservation biology. His work has significantly advanced our understanding of wildlife genetics, leaving a legacy that will continue to inspire generations of scientists to come. He was awarded multiple awards in recognition of his efforts (e.g. the Scientific Medal of the Zoological Society of London, the ZSL Marsh Award for Conservation Biology) and was cited over 30,000 times, having written over 300 research papers and book chapters. All of us who worked with him will miss his research excellence. Outside his academic work, Mike was a passionate and active naturalist and birdwatcher with his travels across the world giving him the opportunity to wonder the beauty of the natural world. We will miss Mike's kind character. His communicative smile gave many of us the strength to chase our dreams, while also providing insight into how we can all contribute to making tomorrow's world a better place.