Paul Read was lucky to start his professional activity in the studio of the prestigious naval architect and engineer Robin A. Williams. With him he began in one of the most complex and demanding fields of shipbuilding: oceanographic research vessels. In the early 1990s he was involved in the design and supervision of the refurbishment of the historic RRS Discovery. Soon after, Read was on the team that oversaw the various phases of construction of Britain’s newest polar-class oceanographic ship, the most advanced of its time, the legendary RRS James Cook. Although he never stopped collaborating with Robin A. Williams, in 2013 he joined Gelen Marine as its Managing Director. Since then he has been involved in multiple projects including concept design, plan approval, technical development, newbuilding supervision, repairs, lengthening and general advisory to owners of a variety of vessels from cargo ships to cruise ships and research/oceanographic vessels.