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Last updated 25th May 2023

After graduating in 1996 with an honours degree in mechanical engineering, Paul joined a consultancy group at Manchester Metropolitan University developing automotive safety systems. In 1998 he embarked upon a PhD programme studying contact mechanics and wheel-rail interaction on a scaled railway roller rig. During this time he became a founder member of the Rail Technology Unit (RTU), a group which specialised in railway vehicle dynamics and wheel rail interaction.

The RTU became a successful and well respected research and enterprise group and in 2012 transferred to the University of Huddersfield to form the new Institute of Railway Research (IRR). Paul joined UoH as the assistant director of the IRR and since joining has helped the group more than triple in size from 9 to 30 staff.

Paul was a member of the bid team which won £4M of Regional Growth Funding to set up the IRR’s new Centre for Innovation in Rail (CIR). The CIR has been launched to support the industry and its supply chain in bringing new technologies to the rail sector. The centre’s goal is to reach out to SMEs and other solutions providers to offer specialist engineering services, funding advice and commercialisation opportunities to help realise the full potential of new concepts or product within the rail sector.

Paul has led the specification, contractual negotiation and procurement of the IRR’s £2.1M advanced railway rolling contact rig and its £2.4M laboratory/office expansion programmes.

Paul’s enterprise and research activities have led to the initiation of strong university relationships and funding streams with key railway sector partners including HS2, Crossrail, Unipart Rail Ltd and Alstom.

He has achieved wide press exposure for the University with articles/quotes published in the Mail on Sunday, Modern Railways Magazine, Railway Gazette International, The Engineer and the Huddersfield Examiner, together with numerous online sites.

He instigated and led the delivery of an annual residential course for 50 school children on behalf of the Smallpeice Trust and has recently been invited to join the Scientific Committee for the IMechE Railway Division’s annual Stephenson Conference and also deliver the Institute’s annual prestige evening guest lecture.

Paul became Director of the Institute of Railway Research in July 2022 and Associate Dean (RIKE) within the School of Computing and Enginerring in January 2023.