Tim has a BSc in Environmental Science from University College Cork (2005), a PhD from Dublin City University (2012), and subsequently held several postdoctoral positions at DCU and Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), before joining the Environmental Sciences programme at University College Cork (UCC) as a lecturer in 2016. In this capacity, Tim contributes widely to teaching, and leads an active research group in Environmental Science. During his time at UCC, Tim has led the development of a range of new initiatives, including introducing international fieldtrips into the Environmental Science undergraduate programme, and an MRES in Environmental Science at UCC in 2018. Tim is also a former Director (2021 - 2023) of the UNEP Global Environmental Monitoring System for Freshwater (UNEP GEMS/Water) Capacity Development Centre (CDC), a centre established at UCC in 2015 to provide global capacity development in water quality monitoring and assessment. In this capacity, Tim had responsibility for the development and delivery of a wide range of capacity development products globally, including PGDip and MSc courses, continuous professional courses, free eLearning courses, design and delivery of global workshops, and design and delivery of a range of technical guidance documents on the subject of Freshwater Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment.

Tim’s current research focuses on environmental monitoring and environmental contamination, with a particular emphasis on aquatic environments. Ongoing projects include monitoring metal contamination in fish products in Nigeria, metal contamination in Irish urban soils, effects of floods and droughts on nutrient mobility in Irish soils, and citizen science approaches to environmental monitoring. Past projects have focused on the development of sensor technologies in environmental monitoring, understanding biofilm development and diatom growth in aquatic environments, and the effect of biomimetic and bio-inspired micro and nano-structured surfaces on biofilm development.

Tim teaches widely in the undergraduate Environmental Science programme, and coordinates the undergraduate Environmental Sciences International residential field trips. He also contributes at postgraduate level to the MSc in Applied Environmental Geology and Co-ordinates the MRes in Environmental Sciences (more details here: https://www.ucc.ie/en/bees/courses/postgrad/mresenv/)