Dr Timothy Walker
Research Fellow
Peter Lanyon A073
Peter Lanyon Building, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Treliever Road, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK
Overview
Timothy is the Volunteer Wellbeing and Community Cohesion Research Fellow on the ERDF funded SMARTLINE project. SMARTLINE is a research and innovation project aimed at supporting the growth of the eHealth and eWellbeing small and medium enterprise (SME) sector in Cornwall. Timothy’s role is to research ways to improve volunteer experience along with identifying gaps in management systems leading SME’s to develop new digital products.
Qualifications
2016: PhD titled ‘Geographies of Risk, Uncertainty and Ambiguity in Catchment Management’. Exeter University, Centre for Geography, Environment and Society
2010: MSc in Rural Social Science Research. Newcastle University, Centre for Rural Economy
2008: BA in Geography. Swansea University
Research
Research interests
Timothy has a background in social geography and particular interest in conducting participatory action research. Since completing his Doctorate Timothy has been working on a number of research and impact facing projects with Cornwall’s voluntary, healthcare, and digital sectors. Most recently Timothy was funded by a Proof of Concept award from UoE Innovation, Impact and Business to establish the potential of new digital mapping solutions for the community transport sector. Prior to this Tim was embedded, as the Knowledge Exchange Fellow (ESRC IAA), at Age UK Cornwall and Volunteer Cornwall in order to accelerate impact from CGES research on the recruitment, training and retention of volunteers in the health and social care sector.
Alongside geographies of volunteering, Timothy has a particular interest in environmental management and local action partnerships. Through his Doctoral research Timothy developed close working relationships with groups on the Lizard Peninsular; including Loe Pool Forum and Linking Lizard Countryside Partnership. These connections continue to generate research projects for BA/BSc and MSc geography students.
Research projects
Volunteers in Communities
Volunteers in Communities is an action research project seeking to enable innovation in the voluntary sector. The project is being led by world leading researchers at the Centre for Geography, Environment and Society (CGES) in partnership with Volunteer Cornwall and Age UK Cornwall. Our website volunteersincommunities.org provides a platform to showcase the team’s successes and communicate research findings. On the site you will be able to freely access a range of resources and learn about the projects Timothy is currently working on.
Loe Pool Forum
Loe Pool Forum (LPF) is an environmental partnership working to improve water quality and reduce flood risk in the River Cober catchment. LPF is taking a catchment based approach to managing local water risks; this commits to thinking holistically about the catchment and its issues. Central to a catchment based approach is collaborative working with local stakeholders and Universities. As such LPF and the Centre for Geography, Environment and Society have a developed a mutually beneficially research project relationship
Grants/Funding
ESRC Knowledge Exchange Fellowship (2017) Impact Acceleration Account, University of Exeter: Timothy secured funding for the project (total project worth £24,319) titled ‘TAP-MAPPING – enabling innovation in the community transport sector’ which was designed to realise the social and economic impact from Volunteers in Communities latest phase of action research.
Proof of Concept Award (2016) Innovation, Impact and Business, University of Exeter: Timothy was granted funding (total project worth £12,688) for the project titled ‘I.MAP.CARE’ from IIB’s Open Innovation platform to investigate the potential of iGeolise Travel Time technology for the community transport sector.
ESRC IAA Knowledge Exchange Fellowship (2015 - 2016) Centre for Geography, Environment and Society, University of Exeter: Timothy was embedded at Age UK Cornwall and Volunteer Cornwall in order to accelerate impact from CGES research on the recruitment, training and retention of volunteers in the health and social care sector.
UoE Graduate Placement (2014) Centre for Geography, Environment and Society, University of Exeter: The Farm and Resilience Management (FARM) project sought to understand the associated risks of climate change to biodiversity on the Lizard Peninsula and the constraints to implementing land management.
SWDTC Work Placement (2013) National Trust, Helston: Timothy secured a match funded (£6000) South West Doctoral Training Centre (SWDTC) Work Placement at the National Trust. Activity focused on delivering Loe Pool Forum’s community engagement agenda.
Miller Prize (2010) Newcastle University: Timothy was awarded the Miller Prize (£500) as the highest overall achieving research student, out of 205 students, on the ESRC accredited MSc research training programme.
CRE Studentship (2010) Centre for Rural Economy, Newcastle University: Awarded a post graduate studentship (£2,000) for living costs and funding for the ESRC Survey Skills Programme, completed in 2011.