Facts:   - name: alistair john rowan      - occupation: academic    - known for: architectural history   Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of alistair john rowan .
alistair john rowan is an irish architectural historian , a professor and author of irish architectural history and current professor of history of art at university college , cork -lrb- u.c.c. -rrb- .rowan was an architectural writer with `` country life '' before 1967 , when he became lecturer in fine art in the university of edinburgh .thereafter rowan became the first professor of the history of art in university college , dublin -lrb- u.c.d. -rrb- , and later principal of edinburgh college of art .he was slade professor of fine art at the university of oxford for 1988 -- 89 .