Professor David Paton gained his PhD in economics from University College London in 1997 and currently holds the Chair of Industrial Economics at Nottingham University Business School.  His research interests cover topics as diverse as the economics of gambling, teenage pregnancy and cricket and he has published widely on these topics both in practitioner journals such as the Nursing Times and in refereed academic journals such as the Economic Journal, Journal of Health Economics, Sex Education, Economica and the Journal of Sports Economics.

Professor Paton has acted as a policy advisor to various Government Departments on issues relating to gambling regulation and taxation.  His research on teenage pregnancy has been cited widely in the academic literature as well as being featured on numerous occasions in the national, on TV, radio and in Parliamentary debate.