I studied physics at Imperial College of Science ,Technology and Medicine, graduating with a BSc and ARCS (Associate of the Royal College of Science) in 1991. I then became a research student in the Plasma Physics Group, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, working at the Joint European Torus (JET) European fusion project at the Culham Laboratory, near Oxford, UK. Whilst there I was involved in research into plasma diagnostics for thermonuclear fusion plasmas. I graduated in 1995 with a MPhil in experimental plasma physics and the DIC (Diploma of the Imperial College), with a thesis entitled "Development of a Millimetre-Wave Collective Thomson Scattering Diagnostic for JET".

I carried out my PhD research on the subject of ultrasonic absorption in suspensions as a part-time, external student of the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR), University of Southampton. I received my doctorate in 2002 with a thesis entitled "Ultrasonic visco-inertial dissipation in dilute particulate suspensions".

Currently I am a physicist in the Marine Sensors and Environment Group, Marine and Acoustic Centre,  part of QinetiQ, where I am engaged in research projects mostly related to acoustics in shallow water.  My research interests within the field of underwater acoustics have included: sonar performance in turbid and bubbly environments, shallow water acoustics, and geoacoustic inversion.

I am also a Visiting Lecturer in the Fluid Dynamics and Acoustics Group of the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR), University of Southampton.

I am a Chartered Scientist, a Chartered Physicist and Fellow of the Institute of Physics, a Fellow of the Institute of Acoustics and a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America. I am a member of the Committee of the Physical Acoustics Group of the Institute of Physics and I am a representative of the Institute at QinetiQ Winfrith. I am also a member of the Committee of the Underwater Acoustics Group of the Institute of Acoustics and a member of the Acoustical Oceanography Technical Committee of the Acoustical Society of America.
 

I was the recipient of the A. B. Wood Medal and Prize of the Institute of Acoustics for the year 2002. The A. B Wood medal is awarded for distinguished contributions to the field of underwater acoustics.
 

For further details please download my CV.
 

Selected international conferences at which I have presented papers in recent years include :-
 

• High Frequency Acoustics in Shallow Water, Lerici, Italy, June 1997.

• 16th International Congress on Acoustics and 135th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, Seattle, WA, USA, June 1998.

• 4th European Conference on Underwater Acoustics, Rome, Italy September 1998.

• 140th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, Newport Beach, CA, USA, December 2000.

• Acoustical Oceanography, Southampton, UK, April 2001.

• 1st Pan-American/Iberian Congress on Acoustics, Cancun, Mexico, December 2002.

• T. P. Hughes, S. D. Richards and D. V. Bartlett, 'Anti-reflection treatments for JET millimetre-wave diagnostic windows', International Journal of Infrared and Millimetre Waves., 15, 61-76, (1994).

• S. D. Richards, A. D. Heathershaw and P. D. Thorne, 'The effect of suspended particulate matter on sound attenuation in seawater', J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 100, 1447-1450, (1996).

• S. D. Richards, 'The effect of temperature, pressure and salinity on sound attenuation in turbid seawater', J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 103, 205-211, (1998).

• N. R. Brown, T. G. Leighton and S. D. Richards, 'Measurement of viscous sound absorption at 50-150 kHz in a model turbid environment', J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 104, 2114-2120, (1998).

• S. D. Richards and T. G. Leighton, 'Sonar performance in coastal environments: Suspended sediments and microbubbles', Acoustics Bulletin, 26(1), 10-17, (2001).

• S. D. Richards and T. G. Leighton, "High frequency sonar performance predictions for littoral operations - the effect of suspended sediments and microbubbles", Journal of Defence Science, 8, 1-7, (2003).

• S. D. Richards, T. G. Leighton and N. R. Brown, 'Visco-inertial absorption in dilute suspensions of irregular particles', Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series A., 459, No. 2037, 2153-2167, (2003).

• S. D. Richards, T. G. Leighton and N. R. Brown, 'Sound absorption by non-spherical particles suspended in water: Comparison of measurements with predictions based on various particle sizing techniques', Journal of the Acoustical Society of America., 114, 1841-1850, (2003).

My latest publication is :-

• T. G. Leighton, S. D. Richards and P. R. White, 'Trapped within a `wall of sound': A possible mechanism for the bubble nets of humpback whales', Acoustics Bulletin, 29(1), 24-29, (2004).

My CV contains a complete list of conference and journal papers.

See also my seawater sound speed calculator.