Dr Richard Fuchs PhD

Richard is a food safety and quality management specialist with 35 years of work experience. He first started at NRI after obtaining a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Leeds. His work moved into the field of food microbiology at NRI, and his areas of research were the development of rapid diagnostic methods, the study of Listeria monocytogenes in foods, particularly fish and fishery products and the study of traditional fermentation methods. Much of the work was carried out overseas, where he also was also involved in training and capacity building.

From 1994 to 2003, Richard was seconded by the UK Department of International Development to the International Foundation of Science, in Stockholm, Sweden where he was Head of Programme. This organisation awards grants to young researchers in developing countries and also provides a package of other support. His work took him to many countries and he was instrumental in organising workshops and training courses, as well as setting up and supporting networks.

On Richard's return to NRI, he took on a more active role in teaching and became  Programme Leader for the MSc Applied Food Safety and Quality Management. He also played a key role in the development of an e-learning version of the programme. He delivers a number of modules on the programmes.

Richard's consultancy work has continued parallel to his teaching. He has managed the NRI contribution to a number of large projects including the ACP/OCT funded Strengthening Fisheries Product Health Conditions programme, and the COLEACP run EDES programme, which aimed to strengthen food security systems in developing countries. Some of this work focused on strengthening the capacity of official testing laboratories and supporting them in the attainment of ISO 17025. More recently, Richard has been working with both the International Potato Centre and the World Health Programme in delivering training.

In his work, Richard has worked with all sectors from Government to small businesses both in the UK and overseas. He has supported small start-up companies in the UK through a number of initiatives. He has a proven track record of management and leadership and has managed many successful projects in developing countries.

A full staff profile can be seen on the Natural Resources Institute website.