University of St Andrews

Paul joined the wellbeing team at University of St Andrews in 2023 after a varied career in community development, the creative industries and higher education.

Always up for a challenge, Paul designed and managed youth and community programmes for local authorities and charities such as The Prince’s Trust. These included music-based personal development programmes for young people facing multiple challenges, and an innovative programme to reduce conflict between young people from indigenous and refugee communities in Glasgow.

Interest in the arts, and specifically in music, led to an extensive period as a professional musician and tour manager. He has been fortunate to work throughout Europe, USA and Japan and to share stages with artists such as Robert Plant, REM and Tom Jones.

On hanging up his guitar, Paul worked in student residences at the University of Stirling and pursued his creative interests and desire for learning with an MLitt in Creative Writing. This led on to a PhD in Publishing, with research on community engagement in literary activity in Glasgow, and subsequent teaching and research on community resilience.

Paul worked as cultural engagement producer for Glasgow 2018 European Championships, after which he set up a small publishing company and produced events to raise awareness of organ donation. Prior to joining the team at St Andrews, Paul worked as a student experience manager and then learning designer for a company producing online postgraduate courses for UK universities.

As someone who returned to higher education later in life, Paul is aware of the sorts of challenges faced by postgraduate students, particularly those who are trying to balance work and family commitments. He believes that postgraduate study is a decision to push ourselves to the limit of our knowledge and abilities, and that we can embrace that challenge, even if it may be a painful process at times.