Professor Sidney Irvine graduated MA Med from Aberdeen University, his Ph.D. under Professor Alec Rodger, Head of Occupational Psychology at Birkbeck College, University of London, was on the structure and nature of abilities in African groups. Recognised internationally as a leading authority on test use across cultures, he was elected Fellow of the British Psychological Society in 1974. His research in Southern Africa resulted in the publication of several scientific papers on problems of test adaptation for cross-cultural assessment, leading in 1981 to the award by the South African Psychological Society of the Simon Biesheuvel Medal for the Study of Man in Africa.

Professor Irvine in 1967, was the visiting Scholar at Educational Testing Service US Public Health Service. As Professor of Differential Psychology from 1979 at the University of Plymouth, he established the Human Assessment Laboratory. With his colleagues in that unit he devised The British Army Recruit Battery (BARB), a computer-based multiform series of tests for recruitment in the British Army, the most original features of which include algorithm generation of items in real time to prescribed levels of difficulty. This went operational nation-wide in 1992 and is still in place today.

In 1993, he initiated the Spearman Seminar, a quadrennial symposium, now sponsored jointly with ETS Princeton, on the nature and measurement of cognitive abilities. The 2001 Meeting was held at the University of Sydney, where he gave the opening address by invitation.

He again opened the 2004 centenary seminar in Philadelphia. He was elected United States National Academy of Science Senior Fellow for 1997-99, in residence at The Air Force Laboratory, Brooks Air Force Base, Texas, having enjoyed close collaboration with scientists there during the previous decade. Significant advances in multiform test construction were made by administering tests to more than 5,000 USAF recruit personnel. In 2005, he submitted a successful bid to replace the tests for entry to the Belgian Armed Forces. The system went operational throughout Belgium in 2006, comprising an automated computer–delivered system in Dutch, French and German, complete with scoring and individual reports in summary or detail. His publications include refereed papers and official reports too numerous to list here.

His most recent major work is (with Patrick Kyllonen) Item-Generation for Test Development published by Erlbaum in 2002. Active research includes the advanced development of computer-delivered tests based on item generation theory; on motivation and health related quality of life in military groups; and on personality correlates of circadian rhythms In addition to being a Fellow of the British Psychological Society he is a Chartered Psychologist.

In his role as Chairman of Inpsych Ltd., a company specialising in test systems, Professor Irvine has consulted for UNESCO (Cyprus and Saudi Arabia), Glaxo-Smith-Kline Italy and UK, BIC Systems Belfast, The Standard Bank Investment Corporation South Africa, Thomas International, Marriott Hotel Group, The Royal Ulster Constabulary (now known as the Police Service for Northern Ireland), The Ministries of Defence of Belgium, The Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain and The United States Air Force. Already successfully introduced the tests to a few local clients in NI (including formally BIC Systems RAP Program), Professor Irvine in conjunction with Censeo Services now wish to further extend the reach of the assessments globally.

The assessment tests have been developed in 4 languages and validated across 5 continents.