Hutchison attended the University of Glasgow studying geology before receiving appointments at the University of Leeds and the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency. He joined the Natural History Museum in 1969.[1]
Hutchison's most important research regarded the discovery of the young age of the Nakhla meteorite.[3][1] This would lead to the discovery of the Martian origin of this meteorite and other related meteorites,[1] which Hutchison directly contributed to.[4] He was then directly involved in studies looking at hydrated minerals within these meteorites, which provided conclusions about water flow on Mars and other celestial bodies,[1] and would lead to the discovery of interstellar material within the samples.[5]
A major research interest of Hutchison was chondrites, in particular chondrules. Hutchison used research in the area to advocate for a more planetary rather than nebular origin for primitive asteroids.[1] Hutchison encountered igneous textures in the Barwell meteorite which should come from a differentiated parent body, indicating the formation of large differentiated bodies before the formation of primitive asteroids.[6] These and other results, with an older-than-expected igneous clast being discovered by Hutchison, lead to revisions to the estimated timeline of solar system formation.[1]
Hutchison officially retired from his curator position in 1997. In 2000, he received the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society.[1] He published Meteorites : A Petrologic, Chemical and Isotopic Synthesis in 2004, which Caroline Smith rated as " the core textbook for someone who is wanting to get into meteorite research professionally" in an article from 2010.[7]
Hutchison died in 2007 from complications following a collapsed lung.[1]
Hutchison was a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, The Meteoritical Society, and the Mineralogical Society. The asteroid 5308 Hutchison was named in his honour.[1]