Rate My Professor Richard Paul

Professor Richard Paul serves as Chair in Bioanalytical Chemistry in the Faculty of Science and Technology at Bournemouth University. He earned his PhD in Analytical Toxicology from the University of Glamorgan in 2007. Paul's research centers on applying bioanalytical chemistry to solve complex challenges in forensic and medical domains, with a particular emphasis on biomarker discovery and detection in toxicology and pathology. As Lead of the Analytical Science Research Group, Programme Leader for the BSc Forensic Science, Accreditation Lead for the Chartered Society of Forensic Science, Faculty Lead for the Christchurch House redevelopment project, and External Examiner for the MSc Analytical Toxicology at King's College London, he holds significant leadership roles. His interdisciplinary projects foster collaborations with government agencies, healthcare providers, and private sector partners, utilizing techniques such as headspace analysis for volatile biomarkers, mass spectrometry, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, and chemometrics.

Paul's contributions include funded research on cancer metabolomics for non-invasive skin cancer detection, synthetic opioids and new psychoactive substances in prisons and wastewater, and graphene-based sensors for drug and alcohol identification, supported by grants from the Home Office, Skin Cancer Research Fund, Prison Officers Association, and others. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (C.Chem., Chartered Chemist) and the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), and serves as an Editor for Scientific Reports. Key publications encompass 'Potential biomarkers of skin cancer diagnosis revealed through volatile metabolomics – A prospective research study' (EJC Skin Cancer, 2025), 'Analysis of crude wastewater from two treatment plants in South Wales for 35 new psychoactive substances and cocaine, and cannabis' (Scientific Reports, 2024), 'Unveiling Morphine: A Rapid and Selective Fluorescence Sensor for Forensic and Medical Analysis' (Sensors, 2024), and 'Wastewater analysis for new psychoactive substances and cocaine and cannabis in a Northern Ireland Prison' (Scientific Reports, 2023). Paul has presented invited lectures, including on novel psychoactive substances in prisons at the University of the West of England (2021), and participates in public engagement through Café Scientifique and Bournemouth Natural Science Society events. He contributes to committees such as the HMPPS Psychoactive Substances Expert Working Group and holds memberships in the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences, Society of Hair Testing, and London Toxicology Group.