Upon completing his mathematics degree at Edinburgh University, and his teaching qualification the year after, Allan taught for a short period at Dollar Academy. He then moved to a high school near Lake Victoria in Kenya but three years later he returned to Scotland and quickly moved up the departmental ladder to become PT at Arbroath Academy. During these years he completed his MEd here at Stirling University and extended his teaching qualifications to cover both primary and secondary education.

In 1985, Allan moved into teacher education, first at Dundee College of Education, then at the Northern College of Education in Aberdeen, which subsequently became part of Aberdeen University. During these years he was elected a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Such was his standing that he served as an external examiner for the Open University and the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Allan Duncan retired in 2010 after 25 years of developing trainee and in-service mathematics teachers, though he remains an Honorary Senior Lecturer in Mathematics Education.

Over the years, Allan has been prolific in writing for the mathematical community, which is one of the reasons why he was nominated for this award, with numerous articles on a range of topics in Scottish Education. Furthermore, he has been centrally involved in research, consultancy, and continuous professional development. Roles include organising conferences, writing Higher Mathematics Investigations, consultancy work for the Government of Indonesia and a previous stint on the Scottish Mathematical Council, including editing issues 26-29 of the SMC Journal. Next week Allan will return to the SMC for an unparalleled third spell, this time as Editor-in-Chief of the SMC Journals.

The impact of technology on learning has always been an area of particular interest to Allan. Not only was he very involved as a trainer with Texas Instruments TI N-Spire but he also wrote associated Case Studies. Approachable, and always willing to assist, Allan has had a profound impact on many students as they embarked on a career in teaching, both in primary and secondary.