Richard is a social scientist who has undertaken work on a variety of public health issues. He is currently a Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Public Health and a UCU rep for SWECW and Health & Safety.

He was previously a Senior Research Associate in the Institute of Health & Society, Newcastle University (2011-2018) and a Research Associate in the Department of Geography, University of Sheffield (2010-2011). He was awarded his PhD in 2010 from Newcastle University with the thesis ‘Setting Science-Based International Food Standards: Defining Dietary Fibre in the Codex Alimentarius Commission’.

His research and teaching specialist areas are:​ Public Health; Social Science; Qualitative Methods and Synthesis; Food Insecurity; Inequalities and Inequities; Sport and Wellbeing; Ageing and Frailty; End of Life Care; Social Practice Theory; Socio-Material Infrastructures; Politics of Regulation and Knowledge Claims; Science & Technology Studies.

He was lead investigator for the British Academy / Leverhulme Small Research Grant Project: 'Between transition and crisis: food assistance organisations in Northumberland and the implications for social infrastructure' SRG20\200138 Oct 2020 - Sep 2022.

Richard is an Editorial Board Member for BMC Geriatrics.

His email address is: [email protected]