Institute of Development Studies

Biography

Paul has degrees from Oxford University (Philosophy and Psychology, 1980) and Sheffield Hallam University (Documentary Film and Television, 1996). Before joining IDS, he worked as a journalist with a science and technology specialisation, and as editor, writer and producer working with print, video and the internet. Projects generally related to learning and change, and clients included BBC Education, the Open University, Cambridge University Press, and non-profit and multinational organisations.

Research Interests

Paul's thesis title is: ‘Is H5N1 a modernisation risk? A multi-sited study of the responses to the threats of avian and human pandemic influenza'. He is co-author of ‘The International Response to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza: Science, Policy and Politics' (2008) and author of ‘The Political Economy of Avian Influenza in Indonesia' (2009). Both papers were supported by the UN FAO Pro-Poor Livestock Policy Initiative. He is a member of the IDS/SPRU STEPS Centre multi-disciplinary epidemics project.

Languages

English (first language). Basic French, German, Italian and Indonesian.

Selected Projects and Recent Work

• Social, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability (STEPS) Centre

Thematic Expertise

Agriculture; Health; Science and Society; Global Agri-food and Trade; Livestock and Pastoralism.