Dr. Mitchell-Banks has 32 years of experience in land and resource planning, management, research, and consultation.  In this capacity, he has worked throughout British Columbia, the Yukon, NWT, and Alberta, as well as Europe.  He has led the Socioeconomic/Human Environment Teams at Amec Foster Wheeler, Rescan and SLR Consulting (Canada) Ltd and worked on: multiple Environmental Impact Assessment Projects; Indigenous and Public Consultation and Engagement; Traditional (Indigenous) Knowledge and Traditional Land Use Studies; multiple research projects

While based in Norway, he was the first internationally hired senior researcher at Moreforsking Institute.  He served in various roles including Norwegian Country Representative, research team lead, and Country member or Executive Committee member on pan-European research projects. He was on the Steering Committee and led the economic research for the largest COST funded project that involved 28 countries.   He also evaluated EU funding projects in Austria, Norway, and Germany, and travelled extensively through Europe and to Canada undertaking research and development.

He has worked for government, private industry, First Nations (Indigenous communities), communities, and non-governmental organizations in both Canada and Europe.  He has a three-decade long career working with, directly for – and at times based in – Indigenous communities.  This work included addressing large-scale land and resource management plans, Environmental Impact Assessments and forestry and economic development and was known for facilitating cooperative approaches for government, industry, and indigenous communities to work together on large-scale initiatives. 

Dr. Mitchell-Banks’ formal training spans four disciplines from three universities.  His undergraduate degree was in Life Sciences, and he undertook additional study in Wildlife Biology.  He has an MBA with an international business, finance and policy focus, and a Master of Science in Planning degree with an environmental focus.  His doctorate was in forestry, specializing in management, tenure, property rights, policy, and economics.  He has received extensive training in public facilitation, wilderness management (University of Natal, South Africa), project management, environmental assessments, public planning, and conflict over land use (European Forest Institute, Finland), systems analysis (ENGREF, France)and other courses related to land and resource management and planning. He is currently finishing an Advanced Diploma in Organizational Cultural Transformation.

Paul has multiple professional certifications: he is a Registered Professional Planner and is a member of the Canadian Institute of Planning and is a certified Environmental Professional through ECO Canada.  He has also completed Public Participation training through the International Association of Public Participation and is one of 31 Certified Professionals in Public Participation (CP3) in Canada.

Paul has taught at universities and has guest-lectured across Canada, Norway, and at Oxford University. He has led or supported training courses and workshops on Indigenous Engagement and Public Participation.   He has presented at over 60 international conferences and has authored and co-authored chapters for books on Trans-disciplinary research and management, global change, land and resource planning and indigenous people and tourism, indigenous people and treaties and resource access, forestry and communities and legislation.

Paul is an Adjunct Professor and member of the Professional Advisory Team for the University of British Columbia Land and Water Systems Program.