Paul undertook his BSc (Hons) and PhD degrees at Monash University (Melbourne, Australia), where his research was centred on the synthesis of multi-nuclear metal complexes in the quest to develop species of bio-mimetic relevance and as novel magnetic materials. He then spent two years as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Queen’s University of Belfast, Northern Ireland, investigating the structural and functional aspects of metallo-macrocyclic complexes.

Paul was then appointed to a lectureship at the University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, rising through the ranks before moving to the University of Canterbury where he is Professor of Chemistry. Paul’s research interests are centred in Supramolecular Chemistry with an emphasis on investigating Metalorganic Frameworks (MOFs) for carbon capture and energy transfer.