I have known Dr Crawford for over 25 years, and, like so many other researchers, during that time I have benefited enormously from his guidance and expertise. We first met at Charing Cross Hospital in the mid 1990’s, where he was already carrying out pioneering research investigating oculomotor abnormalities in neuropsychiatric patients. In those times eye tracking was a very niche area, and the equipment available required very high levels of skill to operate. As a new post-doc, with no prior experience of eye tracking, Dr Crawford was an outstanding mentor to me. He taught me the fundamental principles of search coil and infrared limbus tracking techniques, as well as how to design eye tracking experiments and analyse gaze data – all with great care and patience.  It has been a genuine privilege throughout my career to be able to boast that I learned eye tracking from one of the field’s most outstanding scientists. Dr Crawford was also one of the first researchers to understand the power of eye tracking to explore the cognitive consequences of neurological and psychiatric disorders. His deep understanding of the relationship between visual attention and oculomotor control informs all of his research efforts, and this approach has proven to be very influential to an entire generation of researchers.  His current research program continues this tradition, and will continue to deliver profound insights into a wide range of important topics – from identifying early signs of dementia, to understanding the impact of carbon monoxide on cognition.