I was born in Gloucestershire in 1965, I grew up in Somerset and went to university in Oxford and then Bangor (Wales). I studied physics, then physical oceanography – a spur of the moment decision that occurred when a friend told me that her father had studied physics at Oxford and he was an oceanographer and I thought “I could do that”. It was a way of continuing with physics but on a scale that you can observe with your own eyes and to be involved with a subject directly connected with the natural environment.
I moved to Plymouth, Devon in summer 1992 – I always describe this move as “coming home but going a bit further [west]”. I work at the University of Plymouth as an Associate Professor of Ocean Science in the School of Biological and Marine Sciences, where I teach a first year module on physical oceanography and a second year module on meteorology. If I am honest, I find the latter more interesting, probably because we live in the atmosphere and so we experience meteorology on a daily basis. If I was a dolphin then perhaps I would feel the same way about oceanography, but, obviously, I am not a dolphin (I have often thought that those last five words would make a good title for my autobiography, if I ever get round to writing it). Most of my research falls under the theme of coastal processes and involves developing simply computer models to try to explore the behaviour of coastal morphodynamical systems such as sand bars, beach cusps and sand ripples but recently I have begun to branch out (mostly for fun) into other areas such as animal behaviour. For much of my professional career I have held senior management roles in my department, most recently Deputy Head of School – a post that I held for seven years until January 2024.
In the past I played a lot of music: ‘cello through my teens and 20s – various orchestras and ensembles in Somerset, Oxford and Bangor, guitar in my university years – including writing a bunch of unashamedly melancholy songs, and banjo in a Trad Jazz Band called Dixie Dilemma when I was living in north Wales.
I have also been a sports journalist of sorts: I wrote the official match reports for the Plymouth Argyle website for a couple of seasons.
I am married with two daughters (who have now left home). I live in Plymouth and am a season ticket holder at Home Park (Plymouth Argyle Football Club). Back in 2013 I took up running, which became something of an obsession… In June 2023 I suddenly and unexpectedly started writing poetry, which became something of an obsession…, and then in April 2024 I started drawing and painting (art), which became something of an obsession…
I write (two books complete, but not yet published with ideas for more), I read a lot (fiction and non-fiction on a wide range of topics), and a few years ago I made a resolution to watch more films, something that I have only been partially successful at. I like going for walks in nature, and as well as the local landscapes (particularly Dartmoor), I have particularly enjoyed visits to the Yorkshire Dales and Suffolk in the last few years. I have become fascinated with exploring ways to organise my life, work efficiently, be motivated etc (something which has become a bit of an obsession…).
So, I would describe myself as a scientist, educator, coach/mentor, artist, poet, writer, reader, walker, sports enthusiast, productivity junkie/guru, and probably a few others things besides…
It might not come as a surprise to know that I was diagnosed with ADHD in summer 2022 at the age of 56, which explained a lot. Now I am grappling with the various ways that this impacts on my day-to-day life, along with the integrated impact of living without a diagnosis, but with lots and lots of questions, for most of my life!
If you want to contact me feel free to do so using the form below.
Remember to write some kind of message so that I know why you have contacted me and can respond accordingly. Otherwise, I’ll just receive your email address and have no idea what you’d like me to do with it!
Tim O'Hare 