Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Tim’s research focuses on the geomorphology of rivers and wetlands, particularly those in dry landscapes. He has worked extensively in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia, and in Africa (Tshwane-Pienaars River, South Africa; Okavango Delta, Botswana; Nile River, Egypt). His research seeks to understand patterns and processes of fluvial landform change, sediment dynamics, aquatic ecosystem function, and interactions between people and rivers/wetlands in the context of long-term landscape evolution and environmental change. Tim collaborates widely with national and international colleagues, and is a key member of the Wetlands in Drylands Research Network.
Tim is recognised internationally for fluvial geomorphology research and coordination roles in training and capacity building programs for assessment of soil erosion and sediment transport using nuclear techniques, with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He is Lead Country Coordinator for the IAEA Regional Cooperative Agreement Project RAS5091 “Assessing and Mitigating Agro-Contaminants to Improve Water Quality and Soil Productivity in Catchments Using Integrated Isotopic Approaches" from 2022-2025.
Prior to his academic appointment, Tim was a senior environmental scientist with the NSW government (now DPE) where he conducted and managed scientific projects, and worked closely with environmental managers to link river and wetland research to decision-making efforts and policies. This work led to publication of the book “Floodplain Wetland Biota in the Murray-Darling Basin: Water and habitat requirements” and continues through co-funded research, engagement and outreach with DPE and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Research interests
- River channel, floodplain and wetland morphodynamics
- Sediment and agro-contaminant tracing in catchments
- Hydrogeomorphic controls on aquatic ecosystem metabolism
- Wetland responses to inundation, and water and habitat requirements of freshwater biota
- Fire history and impacts on rivers and wetlands
- Anthropogenic impacts on environmental systems, river recovery and management
- Fluvial responses to environmental variability and climate change
- Links between fluvial and environmental change and human settlement in ancient civilisations
Teaching
Research student supervision
Tim has extensive experience as supervisor and mentor to higher degree research students, and is available to discuss options for research projects and degrees.
Current PhD candidates:
- Bradley Graves (PhD project: Channel discontinuity and floodout formation in dryland rivers)
- Megan Gomes (PhD project, co-supervised with Prof. Marc Humphries, cotutelle University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa: The geomorphology and avulsion history of the Mara River and floodplain wetlands in the semiarid Northern Province, Tanzania)
- Amir Arash (co-supervised with Prof. Kirstie Fryirs, PhD project: Flood hydrology and river recovery in Eastern Australia)
- Carl Helander (PhD project: Landscape destabilisation, sediment dynamics and fluvial responses to fire)
- Nicholas Crameri (co-supervised with A/Prof. Emilie Ens, PhD project: Geo-ecological evolution of Indigenous Arnhem Land floodplains: past, present and future)
Community engagement
Master of Research at Macquarie University | Pursue your passion (YouTube, 6 September 2017)
Professional Experience with Macquarie University’s PACE program: environmental industry partners (YouTube, 7 July 2015)
Research engagement
'Paradox lost: wetlands can form in deserts, but we need to find and protect them' (The Conversation, 3 February 2021)
'Australia’s rivers will be unrecognisable by 2070' (Australian Geographic, 22 April 2020)
'Australia’s inland rivers are the pulse of the outback. By 2070, they’ll be unrecognisable' (The Conversation, 21 April 2020)
'Enhancing crop productivity in Asia-Pacific countries by improving soil and water' (6 February 2018)
'Preventing soil erosion with nuclear know-how' (21 June 2017)
'Embracing change: Dr Tim Ralph on conservation' (19 September 2016)
'Keeping watch over a wandering wetland' (11 August 2016)
External positions
Senior Environmental Scientist, Department of Environment Climate Change and Water
20 Aug 2008 → 23 Mar 2010
Environmental Scientist, NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change
20 Aug 2007 → 19 Aug 2008
Environmental Scientist, Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC)
2 Sept 2006 → 30 Sept 2006
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
-
DP22: Will rivers be smaller when the climate is hotter?
Hesse, P., Fryirs, K., Ralph, T., Kiem, A. S., Taschetto, A., Tripaldi, A. & Mehl, A.
28/09/22 → 27/09/25
Project: Research
-
Methodology for Reconstructing Prior River Flow
Ghoneim, E., Ralph, T. & L Onstine, S.
8/09/22 → 31/07/24
Project: Research
-
Monitoring Blue Carbon Ecosystems across the Australian Coastline using Multi-temporal ALOS Data and Machine Learning
Pham, T. D., Saintilan, N., Skidmore, A., Ens, E., Ralph, T., Gore, D., Crameri, N. & Sloane, D.
1/04/22 → 31/03/25
Project: Research
File -
Palaeo-fire and environmental history in floodplain wetlands of the Macquarie Marshes, NSW, Australia
1/01/17 → …
Project: Research
Research Outputs
-
Contemporary channel adjustment and geomorphic sensitivity of the lower Mara River and its floodplain wetlands, Tanzania
Gomes, M., Ralph, T. J. & Humphries, M. S., 15 Mar 2023, In: Geomorphology. 425, p. 1-18 18 p., 108583.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2 Citations (Scopus) -
Detection of decadal time‐series changes in flow hydrology in eastern Australia: considerations for river recovery and flood management
Arash, A. M., Fryirs, K. & Ralph, T. J., 13 Sept 2023, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. 22 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Evaluation of soil organic matter dynamics at Fukushima using an integrated radio-caesium and carbon stable isotope approach
Ralph, T., Helander, C. & Onda, Y., 2023, p. 1. 1 p.Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster
Open AccessFile14 Downloads (Pure) -
Impact of inundation on soil microbiology
Ralph, T. J. & Kobayashi, T., 31 Oct 2023, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Microbiology Australia. 4 p., MA23052 .Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Landscape connectivity dynamics of the transboundary Mara River catchment, East Africa, and implications for river and wetland response in a globally important conservation region
Gomes, M., Ralph, T. J., Helander, C. & Humphries, M. S., Jul 2023, In: Catena. 228, p. 1-13 13 p., 107148.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Prizes
-
2017 BHERT Award for Outstanding Collaboration for National (non-economic) Benefit
Hughes, Lesley (Recipient), Leishman, Michelle (Recipient), Staas, Leigh (Recipient), Gallagher, Rachael (Recipient), Hancock, Nola (Recipient), Beaumont, Linda (Recipient), Graham, Victoria (Recipient), Ralph, Tim (Recipient), Chang, Michael (Recipient), Tomkins, Kerrie (Recipient), Ens, Emilie (Recipient) & Bishop, Melanie (Recipient), 2017
Prize: Honorary award
-
Faculty of Science and Engineering Award for Excellence in Research
Leishman, Michelle (Recipient), Hughes, Lesley (Recipient), Graham, Tori (Recipient), Beaumont, Linda (Recipient), Bishop, Melanie (Recipient), Gallagher, Rachael (Recipient), Hancock, Nola (Recipient), Tomkins, Kerrie (Recipient), Chang, Michael (Recipient), Ens, Emilie (Recipient), Staas, Leigh (Recipient) & Ralph, Tim (Recipient), 24 Nov 2017
Prize
File -
-
Honorary Research Fellow, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
Ralph, Tim (Recipient), Feb 2014
Prize: Honorary award
-
Learning and Teaching Award for Undergraduate Teaching
Fryirs, Kirstie (Recipient) & Ralph, Tim (Recipient), 8 Sept 2013
Prize
File
Activities
- 1 Invited talk
-
Communicating geomorphology (or not)
Tim Ralph (Speaker)
11 Sept 2018Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
Press/Media
-
-
Project focuses on improving soil and water quality in Asia Pacific countries
9/02/18
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities
-
Environment researchers share expertise: Project focuses on enhancing crop productivity in Asia Pacific countries by improving soil and water
6/02/18
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities
-
Preventing soil erosion with nuclear know-how
21/06/17
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment
-
Embracing change: Dr Tim Ralph on conservation
19/09/16
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities
Impacts
-
Wetlands in Drylands: conservation through environmental research, citizen science and global engagement
Tim Ralph (Participant)
Impact: Science impacts, Environment impacts, Policy impacts, Society impacts