Rich is a Professor of Performance Psychology and the Deputy Director of Research at Cardiff Metropolitan University.  Rich is a HCPC registered psychologist (Sport and Exercise) and a BASES Accredited and BPS Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist.  Rich has provided psychological support for the Welsh Rugby Union U20s, Scarlets Rugby and has been the lead Psychologist for Wales Golf since 2012.  Within these roles Rich embedded a focus of wellbeing within the support landscape, as demonstrated through his work with athletes (https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/how-mental-health-awareness-wellbeing-11353202) and his development of the Mental Health Code of Practice, and associated processes, at Wales Golf. Rich has also recently developed online educational modules for coaches at Wales Golf, that focus on strategies to support the wellbeing and performance of coaches.

Rich’s research interests lie within stress and wellbeing, with numerous published research projects delivered across diverse populations within sport, public and private sectors.  For example, this work has considered: the predictors of mental wellbeing in a UK Government Higher Executive Agency (UK HEA) and two UK Regional Police Departments; the wellbeing of parents while their children were cared for at Neonatal Intensive Care Units; the wellbeing experiences of professional football coaches; the stress and wellbeing of student and professional musicians; the influence of sport and business leader behaviour on employee wellbeing; and the demands experienced, and coping strategies used, by professional rugby players.  This work has been in collaboration with colleagues at Cardiff Met and other Universities (e.g., Cardiff University; University of Bath; University of Portsmouth; University of South Wales), along with partners at the UK HEA, Police Departments, Swansea Bay University Health Board, the Welsh FA, Premiership Rugby, the Rugby Football Union, and the Rugby Players Association. 

Alongside this empirical work, Rich has published numerous book chapters on stress and wellbeing in performance environments and is currently supervising doctoral researchers who are focusing on: wellbeing interventions for elite basketball coaches; the development of wellbeing related life skills in a professional football academy; an online coach education programme for Cycling Ireland; Resiliency Interventions for Elite Performers; and predictors of presenteeism in Special Service Personnel.