Mr Paul Cunningham

Paul is a Staff Tutor in the School of Computing and Communications within the STEM Faculty at The Open University. In this role, he supports the delivery of computing modules and contributes to academic development across the curriculum, working closely with associate lecturers and students to enhance teaching quality and student experience.

His responsibilities include providing academic leadership and pastoral support to tutors, contributing to module teams, and supporting operational delivery across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules, and contributes to institutional initiatives including the Awarding Gap Working Group.

Alongside his teaching and leadership responsibilities, Paul is engaged in research as a PhD student, focusing on the theme of “AI in the workplace.” His broader scholarly interests include digital forensics, artificial intelligence, ethics, and their implications for education and society.

Paul is an experienced IT audit and education professional with over three decades of work across the UK public sector and further education. He spent the majority of his career at Audit Wales, where he served as IM&T Audit Manager from 1997 to 2023. In this role, he led and developed a multidisciplinary team delivering audit assurance, digital forensics, cyber security, and data analytics services to organisations including the NHS, local authorities, and emergency services. He played a key role in shaping audit programmes, advancing the use of technology in the Welsh public sector, and supporting major national initiatives, including the implementation of the award-winning DRAIG social services IT system.

Alongside his audit career, Paul has contributed to sector-wide governance and professional practice. Betwee 2016 and 2025, he was Chair of the Wales Fraud Forum, where has led its strategic development, expanded its professional network, and revitalised its national programme of events and training. He also served as a lay member of the University of Bath’s Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, from 2021 to 2024, providing independent oversight and expertise in IT risk, cyber security, and data governance.

Earlier in his career, Paul worked in further education as a lecturer and senior lecturer in IT, where he designed and delivered courses, led curriculum development, and championed inclusive access to computing education, including programmes supporting adults returning to work and learners with additional needs.