Dr. R. Paul Philp is Professor of Petroleum and Environmental Geochemistry at the University of Oklahoma. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Sydney, Australia in 1972 and a D.Sc. from the same University in 1998 on the basis of his research in geochemistry over the past 20 years. Prior to starting at the University of Oklahoma in 1984 Dr. Philp was a Principal Research Scientist, C.S.I.R.O., Sydney, Australia. His current research interests center around petroleum, environmental and forensic geochemistry with an emphasis on molecular and isotopic characterization of oils, gases, rock extracts and contaminants for the purposes of source determination, characterization of depositional environments, maturity, biodegradation and for correlation purposes. Much of the current research activity in the area of forensic geochemistry involves the use of stable isotopes for the purposes of fingerprinting contaminants in the environment for correlation purposes; source determinations and evaluating whether or not natural attenuation is active. This approach is particularly valuable in the case of refined products or single component contaminants when the more traditional GC and GCMS techniques are of little or reduced use.

He has authored or co-authored over 340 articles and books and has lectured extensively on petroleum and environmental geochemistry in SE Asia, South America, Europe and Africa.