2022 Professor of Coastal Dynamics (0.4 FTE), School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth 2009 Professor of Coastal Dynamics, University of Plymouth
2003 Reader in Coastal Dynamics, University of Plymouth
2000 Principal Lecturer and Associate Dean (Graduate School, Faculty of Science), University of Plymouth
1994 Senior Lecturer, Institute of Marine Studies, University of Plymouth
1992 Lecturer in Physical Oceanography, Institute of Marine Studies, University of Plymouth
1990-92 Post-Doctoral Research Associate, NERC British Beach And Nearshore Dynamics programme, Universities of Cardiff, Hull and Plymouth

Post-Doctoral Research Fellows:
1. Dr Jak McCarroll. NERC BLUE-coast grant, 2016-2021
2. Dr Tim Poate. EPSRC NUPSIG grant, 2011-2014
3. Dr Martin Austin. NERC rips grant, 2010-2013.
4. Dr Tim Scott. Knowledge Exchange Fellow, NERC rips grant, 2010-2013
5. Dr Chris Blenkinsopp. ARC Bed-level project, 2007-2010.
6. Dr Martin Austin. SWRDA-PRIMARE WHISSP project, 2007-2010.
7. Dr Tony Butt. NERC X-Shore grant, 2004-2007.
8. Dr Martin Austin. NERC X-shore grant 2005-2006. 
9. Dr Tony Butt. NERC swash grant, 2000-2004. 
10. Dr Jon Miles. NERC swash grant, 2001-2003. 
11. Dr Andrew Saulter. EPSRC COSMOD project, 1998-2001. 
12. Dr Jon Miles. EU COAST3D project, 1997-2001. 
13. Dr Yolanda Foote. NERC macrotidal beaches grant, 1994-1995.
PhD supervision - one current student:
1. Emily Hunt. Predicting Coastal Resilience to Climate Change. Funded by SoBMS, 1st October 2020 -
PhD completion - 22 completions:
1. Oliver Billson. Coastal response to extreme storms: the role of infragravity waves. Funded by Low Carbon Eco-Innovatory / European RDF, 2016 - 21. PhD awarded.
2. Mark Wiggins. Coastal cell response to a changing wave climate using autonomous aerial surveying. QR funded, 2016 - 20. PhD awarded.
3. Oliver Burvingt. Impacts of extreme storms on coastal geomorphology. Funded by SMSE, 2014-18. PhD awarded.
4. Kris Inch. Infragravity wave dynamics on high energy beaches. Funded by ICS. 2013-2017. PhD awarded.
5. Sam Prodger. Sediment grain size & sorting on high energy beaches. Self-funded. 2013-2017. PhD awarded.
6. Antony Thorpe. Sediment Transport in Rips. Funded by NERC. 2016. PhD awarded
7. Kit Stokes. Coastal Impacts of Marine Renewables. Funded by SMSE. 2011-2015. PhD awarded.
8. Claire Earlie. Coastal Cliff Erosion in Cornwall. Funded by ESF-CUC. 2011-2015. PhD awarded.
9. Luis Pedro Melo De Almeida. Coastal Resilience in Extreme Storms. Funded by EPSRC. 2011-2015. PhD awarded.
10. Rob McCall. XBEACH on gravel beaches. Funded by EPSRC NUPSIG project. 2011-2015. PhD awarded.
11. Ellie Woodward. Rip Currents and Implications for Beach Safety. Funded by MI / RNLI. 2012-2015. PhD awarded.
12. Gabriela Garcia-Rubio. Shoreline changes in the Yucatan Peninsula. Funded by CONACYT (Mexican Government), 2007- 2011. PhD awarded.
13. Tim Poate. Morphological change on high energy beaches in the lee of the Wave Hub. Funded by SWRDA via the Peninsula Research Institute for Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMARE). 2008-2011. PhD awarded.
14. Robert Brewin. Investigation of the role of phytoplankton functional types in CO2 flux variability. Funded by a NERC studentship, 2007-2010. PhD awarded.
15. Tim Scott. Classification and risk assessment of UK beaches. Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF2) studentship with the RNLI. 2006-2009. PhD awarded.
16. Jonathan Tinker. Modelling profile evolution on natural beaches with a sediment flux shape function. Tied-studentship on my NERC X-Shore grant. 2004-2008. PhD awarded.
17. George Graham. The effect of vegetation on sediment deposition in salt marshes. NERC quota studentship. 2004-2008. PhD awarded.
18. Darren Evans. The role of swash in shoreline change. Tied-studentship on my NERC swash grant with Loughborough Uni. 2000-2004. PhD awarded.
19. Ismael Marino-Tapia. Understanding profile changes on beaches. Funded by CONACYT (Mexican Government), 1999-2003. PhD awarded.
20. Tony Butt. Swash zone sediment transport on natural beaches, 1997-1999. PhD awarded. 
21. Andrew Saulter. Infragravity wave driven sediment transport on beaches, 1994-1999. PhD awarded.
22. Jon Miles. Enhanced sediment transport near seawalls and reflective beaches, 1993-1997. PhD awarded.

I am a marine scientist, and as a trained oceanographer I have taught a wide variety of modules including: all aspects of physical oceanography (waves, tides, ocean circulation, dynamics of marine ecosystems), coastal processes, coastal management / engineering, hydrodynamics, remote sensing, marine pollution, marine resources and postgraduate research skills. I also led a Stage 3 overseas fieldweek for 10 years (Marine Sports SW France fieldweek). I currently teach on three taught modules: OS306 Coastal Geomorphology and Estuaries (50 students) MAR515 Management of Coastal Environments (40 students) MAR517 Coastal erosion and protection (advanced option module, 20 Masters students) I have previously been Programme Co-ordinator for the MSc/MRes Applied Marine Science and led the Faculty's Masters scheme for over a decade.

Former Competitive Surfing Career
Former European Surfing Champion in Open (1983-85) and Senior (1991-93) divisions. Winner of the first European Professional Surfing Circuit in 1984. Twice British Champion. Six times English Champion. Five times British Universities Champion.
Highest ranking in World Surfing Championships: 3rd Juniors, 7th Open. Highest placed European surfer at biennial World Championships in 1980, 1984, 1986 & 1988. British Team Captain at biennial World Championships in 1984, 1986 & 1988. Former British and English Team coach. Former British Surfing Association Executive Committee member.
In 2004 voted the 4th best ever British surfer by Carve magazine’s poll (behind Russell Winter, Carwyn Williams and Rodney Sumpter). Sponsored by Alder Sportswear since 1981. Well known throughout the British & European surfing industry and community.
Brief Biography (2024)

Paul Russell, Professor of Coastal Dynamics, is a Physical Oceanographer and former European Surfing Champion who was born in Leicester, about as far away as you can get from the sea in the UK. ‘My Mum was a Geography teacher and swim coach, and my Dad was a professional footballer turned teacher, so education and sport were key in our family. We spent the long summer holidays at Treyarnon in North Cornwall, where I learnt to surf at age 7. I still remember my first ride, standing on a moving surfboard and looking down at the water moving under the surfboard – a moving surface on a moving surface, like skiing on a moving mountain. That water motion associated with breaking waves also shapes our coastlines and it is something I have spent the rest of my life studying.’

After completing an Oceanography degree and PhD at Swansea University, Paul obtained a 3-year postdoctoral position funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) on the ‘British Beach and Nearshore Dynamics’ programme, a project shared between the Universities of Cardiff, Hull and Plymouth. By making measurements on different beaches around the UK coastline, the work ultimately led to the ‘shape function’ model of sediment transport on beaches, showing how waves erode sand from beaches during storms and how that sand returns to the shore during calmer periods with smaller waves. 
Paul joined Plymouth University on 1st September 1992 as a Lecturer in Physical Oceanography. Aswell as establishing his coastal research with a number of prestigious grants from NERC and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), he also led the University’s new MSc Applied Marine Science. The reputation of this course grew and it became one of the country’s top MSc’s, at one time attracting six studentships (the maximum available) from NERC. This success prompted an expansion of the science Masters offer at Plymouth. The resulting ‘Environmental and Marine Science’ (EMS) Masters scheme, which Paul led, had 140 students per year studying on six interconnected Masters courses, and over 1000 students have graduated from it since its inception. These EMS Masters courses provided graduates for industry and also underpinned the research of some of the University’s most successful research areas in Marine and Environmental sciences. The most recent course added to this scheme was the MSc Marine Renewable Energy in 2009. Paul led the proposal and approval for this course, which is a World first in this rapidly expanding field. The Masters students have contributed excellent PhD students and Post-doctoral researchers to the University’s Coastal Processes Research Group (CPRG). Paul was one of the founding members of this research group in the mid-90’s and led it for a number of years. CPRG has established itself as the UK’s leading field based coastal research group. It has always held a number of RCUK research grants and has built a substantial state-of-the-art equipment base for studying coastal waves, currents and morphology. Crucially it has also built up a sustainable knowledge base of experienced academic staff, technical staff, Postdoctoral researchers, PhD students and Masters students. This is essential as many of the coastal fieldwork projects involve large teams of trained researchers deploying equipment, surveying and monitoring. In April 2013 the CPRG hosted the World’s largest coastal conference the International Coastal Symposium, in Plymouth University, with over 500 delegates attending. 
An example of a high impact research project is Paul’s joint project with colleague Professor Gerd Masselink; a NERC Partnership grant with the Royal National Lifeboat Insitution (RNLI), the ‘Dynamics of Rip Currents and Implications for Beach Safety’ (DRIBS) project. Rip currents are responsible for around 70% of lifeguard rescues. By making innovative measurements of rip currents with specialised GPS drifters in different wave and tide conditions, we are now able to predict in what conditions, and exactly what times, certain beaches will be at their most dangerous. Working in conjunction with the Met Office we have been able to provide RNLI lifeguards with rip forecasts for their beach. This work has received extensive news coverage, featured on the BBC ‘Bang Goes the Theory’ TV programme and was made into a NERC Planet Earth podcast that received over 220,000 individual views. 
In terms of outreach, Paul worked as a 'role model' for the EPSRC's New Outlooks in Science and Engineering (NOISE) campaign aimed at attracting more young people into careers in science and engineering. The campaign promotional material used Paul’s background as a champion surfer to show that physics can be cool! To help make his work accessible to a mass audience Paul co-authored an introductory text book on waves, ‘Surf Science’, published by the University of Hawaii Press, that has now sold over 25,000 copies worldwide. 
One of the big questions in coastal science is what are the likely effects of climate change on our coastlines, in particular how will sea-level rise and any changes in winds, waves or storminess affect our coastlines? Which parts of the UK coast may become prone to flooding or erosion in the future? To advise policymakers, Paul and Gerd contribute a regularly updated overview, 'Impacts of Climate Change on UK Coastal Erosion and Coastal Geomorphology', as part of the Marine Climate Change Impact Partnership (MCCIP) Annual Report Card. In 2014 they received a NERC Urgency grant to look specifically at the impacts of extreme storms on the coastline of southwest England. The exceptional storms of winter 2014 produced the largest waves to hit the southwest coastline for over 60 years, causing extensive coastal damage including undermining and collapsing the seawall at Dawlish that carries the main Penzance to London rail line. This resulted in a 2-month closure of the main rail line in and out of the southwest, with economic losses to the region estimated at £10 million per day. 
Paul contributed to the Queens Anniversary Award, 'Education and research solutions for the global marine sector', 2011-2015, and was part of the delegation that attended the Guildhall / Buckingham Palace to receive the award. In 2011 he was short-listed for the University’s Innovative Research Award.  Paul Russell is now semi-retired, working 0.4 FTE (2 days/week) as Professor of Coastal Dynamics in the School of Biological and Marine Sciences. He has authored over 150 research papers and has received £5M of grant income to the University of Plymouth as a named investigator on 24 research grants mostly, from NERC and EPSRC. He has supervised 22 PhD students to successful completion.