Robert Pickard was professor of urology at Newcastle University. He was born on 23 June 1961 in Chessington, Surrey, the second of three sons. His father, Peter Pickard, was a laboratory administrator, and his mother, Margaret, was a nurse. The family lived in Leatherhead and Rob attended Kingston Grammar School. He went on to study medicine at the London Hospital Medical School, qualifying in 1984. After house jobs in Essex and basic surgical training in Stafford, Rob moved to Newcastle for his higher surgical training in 1989. He obtained his FRCS in 1989 and decided to specialise in urology. In 1995, after two years in research under the supervision of Philip Powell, he gained an MD (with commendation) from Newcastle University. Rob completed the Northern Deanery training scheme for urology in 1996, gained his FRCS (urology) and was appointed as a consultant urological surgeon at Freeman Hospital, specialising in reconstruction, the same year. Rob was always interested in service development and helped set up the urology spoke unit in Gateshead, transforming local services and mentoring nurse specialists. Over time he developed a regional service for urethroplasty, adolescent urology and complex reconstruction and became famous for his gentle and holistic approach to patient care. Rob went on to receive an honorary fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 2004. Rob was always passionate about research and it was no surprise that he embarked upon an academic career with the guidance of David Neal. He was appointed by Newcastle University as a senior lecturer in 2003 and subsequently became a professor of urology in 2009. Rob had a prolific academic record, amassing over 120 peer-reviewed publications, including prestigious high impact publications in *The Lancet* and the *BMJ*. He had a broad research interest spanning basic science through to clinical trials, systematic reviews, health service research and health economic evaluations. He developed a European profile as the chair of the European Association of Urology’s urological infections guidelines group. Where there was a lack of good evidence, he developed clinical trials, including OPEN, ANTIC, SUSPEND and CATHETER. He led the development and implementation of noninvasive urodynamic studies. His large, ongoing national portfolio of high impact studies changed practice and improved patient outcomes. He developed a first-class research infrastructure in Newcastle and mentored many young academics in the process. Rob was a key player in the inception of the British Association of Urological Surgeons’ (BAUS) section of academic urology. Under his guidance, the section’s national meeting became a beacon of excellence, showcasing British urological research. At BAUS 2016 he was awarded the silver cystoscope for his outstanding contribution to training. Working with the BAUS office of education, he helped develop and update the FRCS urology examination, leading the multiple-choice questions and extended matching questions writing group for a number of years. Rob was awarded the St Peter’s medal in 2017 by BAUS at their annual meeting, a prestigious award that acknowledges a notable contribution to British urology. The BAUS medals committee were unanimous in selecting Rob for the award to recognise his outstanding achievements. Outside medicine, he was an avid reader of classic and contemporary literature. His other passions were cryptic crosswords, map-reading and walking, but most importantly family life with his wife Caroline (née Hett), their daughter Rebecca and son Keir (and Bella, the family Labrador). Rob was generally quite frugal and loved travelling everywhere on his Brompton bike, and one of his few indulgences was his collection of Liberty ties. Rob walked the length of the country with Caroline, completing the last leg to Dunnet Head in May 2017. Rob died peacefully at home with his family on 24 July 2018 at the age of 57. He had been diagnosed with a brain tumour in October 2015. Throughout his treatment, he never complained and accepted his condition in his typical calm and gentle manner, showing more concern for others than himself. Rob was a very talented surgeon with a passion for patient care. Through his clinical and academic work, he drove forward clinical knowledge and improved the lives of all those patients and doctors fortunate to have been under his care or tuition. He will be sorely missed, not only in Newcastle but far beyond.