Richard was born in Rochdale, a town just north of Manchester in July, 1974. Richard stayed in this part of England through his time at Holy Cross College in Bury, until he was accepted to the University of East Anglia (UEA) to undertake a degree in Chemistry, with a Spanish concentration, in 1992. As part of this Bachelors degree program, he was able to spend his third year studying chemistry in Alcala de Henares (a small town northeast of Madrid, Spain). This proved to be an exceptionally rewarding (not to mention terrifying, at the beginning of the year) and enjoyable year, as Richard was able to learn more about the intricacies of the spoken Spanish language in that single year than during several years of high school, college and university Spanish courses. Plus, he got to be part of a research project (and it's during times like this when you realize just how good (or bad) your spoken Spanish is).

Upon graduation from UEA, Richard was invited to leave England and study for a Chemistry PhD in Laramie, Wyoming. After much soul searching and discussion with his family, he accepted (at 21 years old, how many times would you recieve an offer like this?)

Richard officially entered the United States of America in the middle of August in 1996. Going from Manchester, England to Laramie, Wyoming was something of a culture shock (OK, that's an understatment of almost biblical proportions), but despite being almost arrested his first day (just what is this 'open container rule' thingy?), and getting into a rather embarrasing situation when he taught his very first lab (you'll have to come to his office to find out about that one), Richard eventually graduated from UW with a PhD in Organic Chemistry in 2001. It was also in Wyoming where Richard met his wonderful wife, Amanda.

Two years of postdoctoral research at the beautiful campus of Wake Forest University (in Winston-Salem, NC) then followed; after this time, Richard landed his first teaching position at the College of Saint Mary (CSM) in Omaha, NE in Fall of 2003. During this time he developed and honed his teaching skills, and had the opportiunity to teach a variety of courses. Receiving the honor of 'Outstanding Faculty Member, 2005-2006' and receiving a $500,000 National Science Foundation grant were just two of his success stories whilst at CSM.

Richard's time in Omaha was particularly special because it was here that his and Amanda's daughter, Caroline, was born. Although he is proud of his academic success, it is Carly and the way she has bloomed (from a mere 2 lbs 11oz at birth) which Richard considers his greatest achievement. That's Carly to the right.