About Paul Foulds

I’m an engineer-turned-economist with a passion for rethinking how our economies serve people.

My work explores new ways of building resilience, reducing dependence, and creating genuine freedom of choice.

My Background

I began my career as a mechanical building services engineer, designing systems such as HVAC, hot and cold water, and energy solutions for a variety of buildings. For over a decade, I worked on practical engineering challenges where efficiency and sustainability weren’t just concepts, but necessities.

Later, I transitioned into education, spending six years as a maths teacher. That experience shaped how I now approach economics: with a focus on clarity, accessibility, and empowering people to understand complex systems.

Awards and Recognition

Innovation and problem-solving have always driven my work. Along the way, I’ve been fortunate to receive recognition for my ideas:

  • SoPHE Young Engineer Award (2013): Awarded for designing a system to convert human urine into fertiliser. As part of the prize, I worked with WaterAid in Tanzania to assess its implementation in real-world conditions.
  • Open University Innovation Award (2018): Recognised for creating an energy-efficient clothes dryer designed to reduce household energy demand.

Academic Journey

My formal education reflects a commitment to both technical problem-solving and the big-picture questions of society:

  • BEng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Reading
  • MSc in Sustainable Energy Technologies at the University of Southampton
  • BSc (Hons) in Economics and Mathematical Sciences at the Open University

This unusual combination of disciplines – engineering, sustainability, and economics – gives me a perspective that crosses boundaries.

My Mission

I’m not affiliated with a university or think tank, which means my work is independent and unbound by institutional fashions. My aim is simple: to develop and share practical, humane economic ideas that empower individuals, strengthen communities, and reorient prosperity around autonomy rather than dependence.

Through research, public lectures, and accessible tools, I want to make economics something that everyone can engage with – because the economy is not an abstract machine; it’s the network of relationships we all live inside.