Just months before the 16th Symposium of the International Society for Biosafety Research (ISBR) took place in St. Louis, MO (May 2023), the ISBR community suffered a shattering loss with the death of our dear friend and colleague Alan Raybould. Among Alan’s innumerable contributions to the field of risk assessment and biosafety, he was an active contributor to ISBR over the course of his career, serving on the Board of Directors and as a member of the program committee, member and chair of the publication committee, contributing to symposium planning, chairing sessions and, as he was always known to do, delivering many notable and thought-provoking presentations at the symposia. The loss of Alan has left a hole in our community that simply cannot be filled. During the 16th ISBR Symposium, Professor Alan Gray, former President of ISBR, who was an advisor, colleague, and longtime close friend of Alan, shared a tribute. We honour the memory of Alan Raybould by sharing that tribute as part of this Research Topic produced after the Symposium.