Richard Saunders is an Australian scientific skeptic and podcaster. In 2001, he was awarded a life membership by Australian Skeptics and has twice served as their president. He has presented on skepticism, represented the Australian Skeptics on television and radio shows, and is the co-host of The Skeptic Zone podcast.
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Early life
Saunders was born in Kurri Kurri, New South Wales, Australia. His father, R. H. Saunders, a reverend, was posted in Tribune, Saskatchewan, where he lived in 1968 and 1969.
Professional career
Web design
After graduating from high school, Saunders joined educational publisher Ashton Scholastic and sold educational software for Apple II and Commodore 64 home computers. 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.
Acting
Saunders appeared in the background of Superman Returns 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.
Professional sceptic
As a teenager, he became a scientific skeptic after watching television documentaries on the subject. In 2001, he became a member of the Australian Skeptics committee, later becoming president and vice president of the organisation. He was later awarded a life membership in the organisation and as of 2023 was their Chief Investigator. In 2013, he described himself as an "old school skeptic" interested in the paranormal and consumer protection, but uninvolved in religious debates.
He 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 Mystery Investigators 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 Rachael Dunlop. In 2013, the show celebrated 10 years of performing.
In December 2009, Saunders conducted an informal double-blind test of the popular Power Balance hologram bracelet on the Australian television program Today Tonight. The results of the test showed evidence that the holograms' effect wasn't different than a placebo. Saunders had previously demonstrated how someone could put together a convincing demonstration to deceive people about the effect of the product. In 2011, Power Balance had to recognize the marketing claims made about the product were not supported by science and paid a large settlement in response to a lawsuit He also penned a letter to Australian pharmacies in March 2009 asking them to take products not backed by medicine off the shelves, such as homeopathic preparations and magnetic pain relief devices.
In 2010 he helped organise 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.
Awards and honours
2001 Made "Life Member" of Australian Skeptics, Inc.
2011 Made CSI Fellow (Committee for Skeptical Inquiry)
2024 Awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by Australian Skeptics, Inc. (Australian Skeptics, Inc.)
List of publications
Saunders, Richard; Morris, Campbell; Mackness, Brian (1988). Aussiegami : paperfolding Down Under – just for fun. Melbourne: Lothian Publishing.
Saunders, Richard; Mackness, Brian (1989). Prehistoric Aussiegami : paperfolding Down Under dinosaurs ... for fun. Melbourne: Lothian Publishing.
Saunders, Richard; Mackness, Brian (1990). Horrorgami: Spooky Paperfolding Just for Fun. Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Lothian Publishing Co. ISBN 0-85091-380-2.
Mackness, Brian; Saunders, Richard; Saunders, Geoff (1990). Food Tricks. Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Barnacle Publishing. ISBN 1-86338-013-2.
Mackness, Brian; Saunders, Richard; Saunders, Geoff (1990). Paper Tricks. Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Barnacle Publishing. ISBN 1-86338-009-4.
Saunders, Richard; Mackness, Brian (1990). Boats. Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Barnacle Publishing. ISBN 1-86338-002-7.
Saunders, Richard; Mackness, Brian (1990). Decorations. Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Barnacle Publishing. ISBN 1-86338-008-6.
Saunders, Richard; Mackness, Brian (1990). Games. Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Barnacle Publishing. ISBN 1-86338-001-9.
Saunders, Richard; Mackness, Brian (1990). Hats. Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Barnacle Publishing. ISBN 1-86338-006-X.
Saunders, Richard; Mackness, Brian (1990). Masks. Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Barnacle Publishing. ISBN 1-86338-005-1.
Saunders, Richard; Mackness, Brian (1990). Planes. Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Barnacle Publishing. ISBN 1-86338-007-8.