Levison Wood is an author, explorer, photographer, former British army officer and journalist, travelling the world in search of foreign climes and adventure.
Originally from Forsbrook, Staffordshire Moorlands, Levison was attracted to adventure from a young age. He studied for a history degree at the University of Nottingham before joining the British Army in 2005. He was later commissioned as an Officer in the British Parachute Regiment, where he served in Afghanistan in Helmand, Kandahar and Zabul in 2008. He was promoted to Captain before leaving the Army in 2010.
As a photographer and journalist, Levison’s work has taken him from the streets of Baghdad in 2003 to the mountains, deserts and jungles of Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, Sudan, most of sub-Saharan Africa, and across the Indian subcontinent. His passion for discovering more about indigenous ways of life has led him to mountain climbing in Iraq, horse riding in the Afghan Hindu Kush and teaching in Central Africa.
In 2015, Levison held a photographic exhibition, called Visions of Africa, in the Royal Opera Arcade on Pall Mall, London, which proved popular with visitors. His travels have been the subject of several documentaries, with his epic walking expeditions being aired on Channel 4 to critical acclaim and accompanied by award winning books.
Walking the Nile followed Levison on a nine-month trek from the river’s source to the delta in 2014, crossing multiple international borders and encountering many challenges along the way. The following year, he embarked on an even more ambitious challenge, to trek the length of the Himalayas, from Afghanistan to Bhutan. In his last great walking expedition, Levison covered 1,800 miles across the Americas, travelling through eight countries on foot, from Mexico to Colombia.
Levison has now travelled and worked in over 90 countries worldwide. In 2011, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Explorers Club. He is an ambassador for a number of charities, including ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, UNICEF and the Tusk Trust. He also re-joined the Army in 2012, as a reservist Major on secondment to 77th Brigade, the army’s stabilisation and media outlet.
His 2018 published book " Arabia: A Journey Through The Heart of the Middle East" recalls his account of his 5,000-mile expedition around the Arabian Peninsula, from Iraq to Lebanon.
The Award of Honorary Doctor of Staffordshire University is bestowed upon Levison in recognition of his work as an explorer, writer and photographer.