Wilson, Rory Paul, was born October 25, 1957, in Towcester, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom, the son of Bryan Loraine Humphreys Wilson and Margret Gerda (Chalmers) Wilson. His early academic interests developed around zoology and the study of animal life, eventually leading to an international research career focused on wildlife ecology and marine biology.
Wilson studied at the University of Oxford, where he received a Bachelor of Arts with honors in 1979 and a Master of Arts in 1982. He continued his academic training at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, earning a Doctor of Philosophy in 1985. In 1987 he also pursued academic study at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.
Wilson began his professional career as a research officer at the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology at the University of Cape Town, where he worked from 1980 to 1985. During this period his research focused on seabirds and marine animal ecology, helping to expand scientific understanding of how marine species interact with their environment.
He later continued his research career in Europe, working at the Institute for Marine Science (Institut für Meereskunde) in Kiel, Germany. There he conducted research into marine biology and animal behavior, particularly the ecological dynamics of animals living in marine environments.
Wilson also worked with the Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Niort, France. Over the course of his career he has contributed to research on wildlife ecology and to the development and application of technologies used to study animal movement and behavior in natural ecosystems.
Wilson married Marie-Pierre Thérèse Touchard on June 25, 1983. They have three children: Alexis André Wilson, Vianney Lawrence Wilson, and Gwendoline Ixia Wilson.
