The IPA is saddened to note the passing of Professor Alan Wrench, Consultant Professor at Queen Margaret University and founder of Articulate Instruments.

Following his PhD at the University of Edinburgh in 1989, Alan devoted his career to advancing the measurement, analysis, and visualization of speech articulation and swallowing mechanics. His contributions bridged engineering, phonetics, and clinical pathology. Among his key achievements were the creation and co-creation of pivotal databases—including MOCHA-TIMIT, UltraSuite, and TaL—as well as the development of the widely used Articulate Assistant Advanced (AAA) software platform.

Through founding Articulate Instruments in 2003, Alan transformed clinical speech science. His pioneering work spanned hardware and software innovations—from early developments in electropalatography and optopalatography to probe-stabilisation headsets and modern machine-learning applications for articulatory tracking.

His technologies continue to impact research and treatment worldwide, particularly in visual biofeedback for speech sound disorders, speech rehabilitation following oral cancer surgery, and the assessment of swallowing kinematics.