Richard Saunders (skeptic)

Early life

Born in Kurri Kurri, New South Wales, Australia, Saunders traveled internationally with his family in his early life, since his father, Rev. Robert H. Saunders, a Methodist preacher, took the family to live in Tribune, Saskatchewan, Canada from 1968-1969. Returning to Australia, Saunders attended a variety of primary schools in Mullumbimby, Lithgow, and graduated from Woy Woy High School in 1984.

Professional career

After graduating from high school, Saunders joined educational publisher Ashton Scholastic and sold educational software for Apple II and Commodore 64 home computers. In 1988 he began authoring over twenty books on origami, which subsequently were featured on the Australian children's television program Wombat, The ABC Afternoon Show, and similar programs.

He also worked as a web designer for The Advance Bank of Australia and Commonwealth Bank and in 1999 was transferred to EDS, where he designed the interface for netBank online banking and worked for two years before joining GreenStone Pty Ltd as a web designer for three years.

From 2005 - 2008 he worked part-time as a film and TV extra, appearing in the background in such feature films as Superman Returns and Australia as well as in the background in the TV shows All Saints (TV series) and Home and Away.

In 2013 he was invited to be a member of the "World Competition Jury" at Academia Film Olomouc's 48th International Festival of Science Documentary Films or AFO48 in the Czech Republic. He also gave a lecture on the claims of water divining as part of the "Pseudoscience" block and a lecture and workshops on origami as part of the "Beauty of Numbers" block.

In 2008 he and Gary Clark produced "DVD Origami," an instructional DVD with step-by-step instructions on how to fold 20 paper models.

Career as a skeptic

Saunders has over 10 years of experience researching claims of the paranormal. As a teenager he was inspired by Channel 7's Great Mysteries of the World with Scott Lambert; he was surprised at just how easily people could fool themselves, even after being shown evidence that they may be wrong. He joined the committee of the Australian Skeptics in 2001 and has been President and Vice President of the organization. He was granted a Life Membership in the organization in recognition of his work on The Great Skeptic CD. He went on to create the Great Water Divining DVD and the "card carrying skeptic card." He founded Sydney Skeptics in the Pub, initiated "The Skeptic Tank" radio show on Net.FM with Stefan Sojka, produced The Australian Skeptics collection on "Theories of Everything" for TVS local Sydney TV, and created several of the Australians Skeptics convention DVDs. He was the acting artistic director and layout manager for The Skeptic Magazine from Australian Skeptics until Tim Mendham was appointed the new editor in June 2009.

In 2003 Saunders co-founded The Mystery Investigators Show with Alynda Brown and Ian Bryce. The program teaches students to use science and critical thinking to investigate claims of the paranormal, such as water divining, spoon bending, and firewalking. In 2008 Brown left the show and was replaced by biologist Dr. Rachael Dunlop. In 2013 the show celebrated 10 years of performing.

In 2010 he helped organize the first The Amaz!ng Meeting Australia in Sydney. The meeting featured presentations by several high-profile members of the skeptical community, including James Randi, Brian Dunning, and Eugenie Scott.

He has used his expertise in origami to design an origami Pigasus in honour of the mascot of the James Randi Educational Foundation. He authored instructions for folding the Pigasus and a dragon for Skeptic (U.S. magazine).

Awards and Honours

Podcasting

Saunders was producer and host of The Tank Vodcast (aka The Skeptic Tank). In 2008 this podcast became The Skeptic Zone podcast, which he still hosts. It appears weekly and is billed as "The Podcast from Australia for Science and Reason."

He has appeared as a guest on many other podcasts and vodcasts including The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, Skepticality, Dragon*Pod, The Reason Driven Podcast, The Amateur Scientist Podcast, Bad Psychics TV, and Meet The Skeptics!

Public & Media appearances

He has made many appearances on radio and television in his role as a skeptic, including on Today Tonight, Sunrise, Radio 2GB, Radio 2UE, Nova 106.9, 702 ABC, and the pilot show for "Curiosity Aroused". In 2007 he did a recurring segment for the Mike Williams Saturday Night Live radio program called Myths and Mysteries. In 2011 and 2012 he was a regular on The Dirty Disbelievers a radio program on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio network.

In July and August 2008 (series #1) and in 2011 (series #2), he appeared as the resident skeptic judge on The One, an Australian reality television program on the Seven Network that tested the powers of several alleged psychics.

He has spoken at many skeptic meetings including the Australian Skeptics National Convention in 2003, 2004, and 2008. In the United States he appeared at The Amaz!ng Adventure North to Alaska in 2007, and The Amaz!ng Meeting 6 and the Skeptrack at Dragon*Con, both in 2008.

Saunders produced the Vaccination Chronicles in 2014. The film is a 30-minute documentary collects first-hand anecdotes about the real horrors faced by parents of recent generations, when many saw their children die from diseases which are now preventable with vaccines.