Richard Jones conducts seminal work in the field of polymers and biopolymers at surfaces and interfaces, with implications for polymer blends. He pioneered the use of ion beam methods (later complemented by neutron reflectivity measurements) to study the segregation of one component to the surface of a blend. This in turn led to elegant experiments on capillary wave broadening of interfaces, using neutron reflectivity. His innovative experiments on the thickness-dependence of glass transitions in thin films has stimulated a new research field. Recently, he has extended his studies to the denaturation of proteins at interfaces, demonstrating how the surface hydrophilicity has a strong effect, with implications for problems ranging from fouling to disease.