Paul has a background in Social Anthropology after completing his PhD at Manchester University, UK. Paul’s research focused on informal economies in Mexico City, and involved undertaking qualitative research with a diverse range of people, groups and communities. Paul also worked for 15 months at Pathways Consultancy Ltd, in Manchester who specialise in participatory and community focused planning, evaluation, research and consultation. While there, Paul was principally engaged in community consultation, evaluation and preparing reports for the Forestry Commission, North-West Development Agency, and local residents.

In addition to these recent projects Paul previously coordinated a large ARC-funded research project looking at the experiences of men from four continents that had migrated to Australia (2004-05). His previous work at Borderlands Cooperative saw him coordinating the evaluation and monitoring of the Darebin Community Building Project (2003-04) and work on a number of consultation processes including the City of Manningham’s youth policy and the City of Hume Search Conference on men’s homeless and mental health.

Paul has developed extensive experience in working with and conducting semi-structured interviews with people from different social groups in Australia, Mexico and the UK. He possesses highly developed analytical and communication skills. His research and consultation experience has predominantly focused on using qualitative ‘conversational’ approaches to discussing and exploring issues, and as such he is particularly suited to evaluating community development initiatives.

Relevant experience:

• Assessing the social impact of the UK Forestry Commission’s Newlands Scheme, funded by the North-West Development Agency, that is working in marginal communities across the north west of England to transform ex-industrial land into thriving community woodlands,
• Evaluation of the UK Forestry Commission pilot project ‘Green Streets’ designed to engage people in low-income urban communities in the UK via community-driven initiatives focusing on tree-planting and greening their neighbourhoods,
• ARC-funded Migrant Masculinities Project researching the impact of migration to Australia on men from Latin America, South-East Asia, the Middle East, and the Horn of Africa,
• Evaluation of the Darebin Community Building Project that aimed to build the capacity and resilience of local communities in the suburbs of Reservoir and Preston in Melbourne.