Tim is an environmental scientist, conservationist, author, film maker and adventurer with Masters degrees in environmental science and environmental law. He is a Senior Associate of global engineering firm Arup and a sustainability adviser to Australian insurance industries as well as to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank regarding aid projects in developing nations. Tim has led expeditions to remote regions including the South Pole, the high Arctic and across the Great Victoria Desert. He retraced Sir Douglas Mawson 1913 polar journey using only the same gear and rations and in 2013 he retraced Sir Ernest Shackleton’s “double”: he sailed from Antarctica to South Georgia and climbed South Georgia’s mountainous interior using only period clothing and equipment. Tim’s books include The Unforgiving Minute (Random House) and Mawson: Life and Death in Antarctica (MUP), which was released with his UN-endorsed documentary of the same name. He co-authored The Frozen Planet which was jointly released with Sir David Attenborough’s TV series.
Tim received the Bettison & James Award for documentary film-making for his current project, 25Zero, which highlights climate change through the plight of the world’s melting equatorial glaciers. for excellence in scientific achievement and commitment to science communication. He received Royal Institute of Navigation’s Certificate of Achievement as Expedition Leader of the Shackleton Epic Expedition. He was inducted into the Royal Institution of Australia (2017), received the Sydney Institute of Marine Science’s Emerald Award (2013), was named Conservationist of the Year (2015) by Australian Geographic, and was conferred a Member of the Order of Australia (2010) for services to the environment, community and to exploration. He was granted Fellowship of the Yale World Fellows Program for international leadership in environmental sustainability, and is a Global Ambassador for international sustainability NGO the World Wildlife Fund.