Dr William A. Richards is an international leader in the study of psychedelics. A psychologist within the Psychiatry Department of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr Richards was key in the re-launch of psilocybin research in the late 1990s.

With formal degrees both in psychology and theology, Dr Richards is interested in the intersection between the two; the psychology of religion.

Early in his career, Dr Richards studied with Dr Abraham Maslow in the US, and Dr Hanscarl Leuner in Germany.

This latter association, in the early 1960s, introduced Dr Richards to psilocybin research and, after his return to the US became involved in NIMH funded research in 1967.

He participated in the development of protocols for researching the potential of psychedelic substances for the treatment of conditions as broad as depression, addiction and the psychological distress associated with terminal cancer.

Dr Richards was ‘the last person to leave a sinking ship’ when all psychedelic research was gradually ceased within the US and much of Europe.

He is now one of the pioneers of its resurgence, regularly publishing academic papers. He notably wrote and presented ‘Psychedelic Psychotherapy: Insights from 25 years of research’ in 2013.