He completed his PhD at Cambridge University, researching transamination and transpeptidation at the Sir William Dunn Institute of Biochemistry under E. V. Rowsell from 1948 to 1951.

It has been noted that "the discipline of biochemistry at the University of Melbourne owes its foundation to the establishment of the Faculty of Agriculture"[1]: 58  and that tensions developed from the overlap of interests and grants between these two schools.

Hird applied for and received research grants from the Faculty of Agriculture, which freed him from the centralised control of the head of the Department of Biochemistry, Victor Trikojus.

Regarding giving a presentation in the presence of Hird, former student John F. Williams recalled: "If you made a mistake then heaven help you, he was a very tough character to talk to, but an extremely able and interesting biochemist.

"[6] He was remembered for his "ruthless pruning" of student manuscripts and his outstanding lectures, given entirely without notes, and famously featuring his own Limericks.