- Room 111, Reynolds, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA
- +44 1752 586128
- timothy.scott@plymouth.ac.uk

Profiles
Dr Tim Scott
Associate Professor of Ocean Exploration
School of Biological and Marine Sciences (Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Biography
Biography
- Associate Professor in Ocean Exploration
- Programme lead for MSc Hydrography
- Coastal Marine Applied Research (CMAR) consultancy
I am an Associate Professor in Ocean Exploration and have been actively contributing to internationally recognised research in fields of beach and submarine geomorphology, rip current dynamics and coastal hazards. My recent research has focused on storm impacts, rip current circulation and coastal hazards in Europe, and has been published in high-quality international journals. I have more than 20 years experience in the collection and analysis of coastal morphological, hydrodynamic and hydrographic data. I have been actively involved in national and international collaborations with external partners (e.g., RNLI, UK Met Office, local and regional councils and external universities). My academic research has resulted >70 peer-reviewed international journal articles and numerous conference papers, technical reports, invited lectures, workshops and media outputs. In addition to academic research I have conducted a number of consultancy projects, including working closely with the RNLI for over a decade, improving understanding of physical coastal hazards and developing operational risk assessment tools. I have several years of commercial offshore experience working in seismic and hydrographic industry and I have also acted as expert witness in rip current drowning cases.
I have been principal investigator or co-investigator on a number of successful field-based research and consultancy projects (see research). This work has involved intertidal and nearshore oceanographic instrument deployment (Eulerian and Lagrangian), surf zone circulation tracking (GPS surf-zone drifters), RTK-GNSS, total station, laser scanner and UAV SFM topographic/bathymetric surveying, nearshore single- and multi-beam bathymetric surveying, video remote sensing (surf zone and seabed ROV), as well as collection and processing of shallow water sidescan sonar and sub-bottom profile data. More recently I have been involved in research utilising autonomous survey platforms for unique coastal data collection. My work in the commercial offshore surveying industry involved the acquisition of shelf- and deep sea seismic data, and ROV-based video, multibeam and sidescan sonar data processing. I now also act as programme lead for MSc Hydrography at the University, building on our successful track record of training the next generation of Hydrographers and developing industry links with the University.
Qualifications
2020 – present: Associate Professor in Ocean Exploration, University of Plymouth
2015 – 2019: Lecturer in Ocean Exploration, University of Plymouth
2013 – 2015: Research and Teaching Associate, University of Plymouth
2010 – 2013: Research and Knowledge Exchange Fellow, University of Plymouth (Website)
2006 – 2010: PhD Coastal Processes, University of Plymouth
2005 – 2006: Consultant Geophysicist, DeepOcean, Norway
2003 – 2004: MSc Applied Marine Science, University of Plymouth
2001 – 2003: Shelf Sea Seismic Acquisition, WesternGeco, Mexico
1999 – 2001: BSc Geological Oceanography, University of Wales, Bangor
1998 – 1999: National Diploma, Art and Design, Exeter College
Professional membership
Hydrographic Society UK and Ireland
Roles on external bodies
Working groups
2012 – Present: International Lifesaving Federation(ILS) – Rescue Commission: Rip Current Safety Alliance (RipSafe) Committee.
2012: Scientific committee: 2nd International Rip Current Symposium, Sydney,Australia, 2012.
2009: Steering committee for Plymouth Marine Science Partnership Conference.
2006 – 2009: PRE (Public RescueEquipment) working group (UoP, RNLI, ROSPA, UWI Cardiff, RLSS UK, SLSA GB,ENCAMS, SLSGB, MCA, NWSF).
2006 – Present: Beach Risk Assessment working group (RNLI, UoP, SLSGB, RLSS UK, SLSGB, ROSPA, SLSA).
2007: Coordinator for the Young Coastal Scientists & Engineers Conference ’07 (April 2007;Plymouth).
Teaching
Teaching
Teaching interests
Coastal hydrography, submarine geomorphology and coastal morphodynamics/evolution/hazards. I am particularly particularly passionate about field-based learning.
Research
Research
Research interests
Coastal Geomorphology and Hydrography
Beach morphodynamics and coastal evolution
Submarine geomorphology
Rip current dynamics and nearshore sediment transport
Coastal hazards and risk
Autonomous survey and habitat mapping
CMAR - Coastal Marine Applied Research
- Coastal consultancy
Research groups
- Centre for Coastal and Ocean Science and Engineering (CCOSE)
- Coastal Processes Research Group
- Marine Institute
Research degrees awarded to supervised students
2020-current Aikaterina Konstantinou – Coastal dynamics from space (DoS)
2020-current Emily Hunt - Predicting coastal resilience to climate change
2019–current Josie Alice-Kirby – Application of Coastal Change Management Areas (CCMAs) for coastal adaptation to climate change impacts in SW England
2017–current Anna Persson – Physical drivers of nursery function in juvenile flatfishes
2016–2020 Mark Wiggins – Coastal cell response to a changing wave climate using autonomous aerial surveying (DoS)
2015–2019 Nieves Garcia Valiente – Sediment exchange between beach and inner shelf
2014–2018 Olivier Burvingt – Beach response to extreme storms along the SW coast of England
Grants & contracts
RESEARCH GRANTS/CONSULTANCY/AWARDS
2019 – 2020 EMFF Habitat Classification and Fisheries Sensitivity Mapping Tool for Isles of Scilly
2019 – 2021 GCRF Sustainable Abalone Ranching in South Africa (PI) (£50,000)
2016 – 2020 Physical and Biological Dynamic Coastal Processes and their Role in Coastal Recovery (BLUE-coast) (CI) (£760.000 to Plymouth)
2014 – 2015 NERC Urgency grant: Impact of sequence of extreme storms during 2013/14 winter on southwest coast of England (CI) (£80,000)
2012 – 2014 RNLI/MetOffice/Marine Institute: Topographic rip currents TOPORIP (CI) (£99,000)
2010 – 2014 NERC/RNLI – Partnership grant: Dynamics of Rips and Implications for Beach Safety (RF with – PI: G. Masselink; CI: P. Russell) (£550,000)
2009 RNLI: UK beach and hazards database project: Good Beach Guide integration (PI) (£10,000)
2008 Royal National Lifeboat Institution, University of Plymouth, Naval Postgraduate School: Macro-tidal rip current experiment (PI with Dr Martin Austin) (representing c. £ 3,000)
2006 – 2010 RNLI/HEIF2 PhD studentship with full fees and stipend ( £60,000)
2003 – 2004 Full NERC scholarship for M.Sc. Applied Marine Science
2001 Derbyshire prize: Physical Oceanography student of the year ( £100). University of Wales Bangor.
Publications
Publications
Key publications
Key publications are highlighted
JournalsPersonal
Personal
Conferences organised
Young Coastal Scientists and Engineers Conference 2007, University of Plymouth, UK. Member of organising commitee.
Other academic activities
2018/19 - Editor for Journal of Marine Sciences and Engineering (JMSE), special issue 'Storm Erosion'.