Alan's primary research interests are in heritage custodianship particularly in relation to Charles Rennie Mackintosh's masterpiece for Glasgow School of Art, presenting the building as a model of environmental sustainability across the globe. Another key research interest is the interplay between Glasgow's urban grid and underlying geology. Alan represented Scotland at the 2014 Venice Biennale presenting research into Glasgow's late 20thC modernist architectural heritage. In 2018 Alan collaborated with George Jaramillo on a chapter for the publication Creating Heritage for Tourism. In 2019 Alan presented a paper titled The Hidden Curriculum at the annual AEEA Symposium in Zagreb. In 2023 Alan founded the MSA Rural Lab to explore the challenges and opportunities of spatial practices in the context of Scotland's landscapes, villages and rural towns. In 2024 Alan is completing a Masters dissertation on Generative Ai disruption in education.