Dr Thomas Timberlake
Post-doc Researcher

Profile

Biography

I am an ecologist with an interdisciplinary research focus and a strong interest in the relationship between people and the ecosystems which they depend on. Using a range of methods from the natural and social sciences, I aim to understand the many ways in which people’s health and livelihoods are shaped by their surrounding ecosystems, particularly in agricultural settings. My previous research (University of Bristol) looked at the impact of pollinator declines on the nutritional health and livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Nepal and explored opportunities for enhancing nutrition and income by managing pollination services. Working closely with farmers, extension workers, researchers and policymakers, we co-designed a Pollinator Strategy which has been enacted by the provincial government in Nepal. My academic training includes a BSc in Biological Sciences (University of Oxford) and a PhD in pollination ecology (University of Bristol) where I investigated the relevance of phenology (seasonality) to pollinator conservation. Outside of academia, I have worked with the UK Collaborative on Development Research (UKCDR) in partnership with a range of funders, academics and development organisations to understand and strengthen the linkages between pollination and international development. I have also worked as an agroecology consultant for the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Nepal and as a development researcher for Netflix Natural History documentaries

Research

Overview

Based in the Department of Environment & Geography, my research at the University of York takes a broad look at socio-ecological systems and aims to understand how people’s social, ecological, economic and political context shapes their vulnerability and adaptation to environmental change. My main role is on the TERRASAFE project (EU Horizon program) which works with local communities in southern Europe and northern Africa to co-design agroecological innovations that confront the growing threats of desertification.  I am also co-leading a YESI Discipline-Hopping Fellowship developing an AI agroecological decision-support-tool for farmers, in partnership with Computer Sciences.

Publications

Selected publications

Timberlake, T.P., Sapkota, S., Saville, N.M., Baral, S., Bhusal, D.R., Cirtwill, A.R., Devkota, K., Giri, S., Harris-Fry, H.A., Joshi, D., Kortsch, S., Myers, S.S., Roslin, T., Smith, M.R., Memmott, J. (2026) Pollinators support the nutrition and income of vulnerable communities

Regmi, B., Dahal, S., Poudel, S.R. & Timberlake, T.P., (2025). Native pollinators in Nepal: their importance, threats, and conservation needs. Global Ecology and Conservation, p.e03934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03934