Dr. Paul J Murphy graduated from Cardiff University in 1988 with a BSc in Ophthalmic Optics, and completed his training at the Newcastle General Hospital, Department of Ophthalmology, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He obtained his optometric licence in 1990 from the General Optical Council (UK), and entered practice at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Contact Lens and Low Vision Unit, Belfast.

In 1993 he enrolled as a graduate student under the supervision of Prof Sudi Patel and Prof John Marshall, and he was awarded his PhD from Glasgow Caledonian University in 1996 with a thesis entitled: “An examination of human corneal sensitivity by non-invasive methods”. Subsequently, he completed a post-doctoral fellowship and was appointed a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the Department of Vision Sciences at Glasgow Caledonian University in 1997. In 2001, he was appointed Director of Teaching and Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) at the School of Optometry and Vision Sciences at Cardiff University and was promoted to Reader in 2007. While at Cardiff, he established the Contact Lens and Anterior Eye Research Unit (CLAER). Through this research unit, he collaborated with colleagues in the UK and Europe, and developed novel systems for imaging the ocular surface and tear film. He was appointed as the President of the European Academy of Optometry and Optics in 2013.

In 2013, he was appointed Director of the School of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Waterloo, and in the same year he also completed his MBA at the University of South Wales. In 2015, he was appointed an Honorary Professor at Cardiff University. In 2016 he stepped down from the position of Director, and assumed a professor position within the Waterloo School, where he has established the Murphy Laboratory of Experimental Optometry. His research interests are concentrated on the anterior ocular surface, and include contact lens wear, tear film physiology, ocular anatomy and corneal sensation. He has published in these areas, and in topics as varied as visual impairment, eye movement and optometric practice.

Dr. Murphy is a Member of the Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology (CBB), and a collaborator with the Centre for Ocular Research and Education (CORE) at the University of Waterloo.  He is a Fellow of the College of Optometrists (UK), the American Academy of Optometry, the European Academy of Optometry and the British Contact Lens Association.