Speakers

Speaker profile

Born in Chichester, England, on 7 April 1972, Tim was the first British ESA astronaut to visit the International Space Station. He launched on a Soyuz rocket on 15 December 2015 and landed back on Earth on Earth 18 June 2016 after 186 days in space.

Upon becoming an Army Air Corps officer in 1992, Tim served on attachment with the Royal Green Jackets as a Platoon Commander in Northern Ireland before beginning flight training. He was awarded his Army Flying Wings in 1994. He flew on military operations in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia, Northern Ireland and Afghanistan. As a test pilot, he was involved in numerous test flights on many different types of military helicopter, including operations with Special Forces.

On retirement from the British Army as a major in 2009, Tim was employed as a senior helicopter test pilot for AgustaWestland. During his career, he has logged over 3000 hours’ flying time on more than 30 types of helicopter and fixed wing aircraft. Tim attained a Bachelor of Science degree in Flight Dynamics and Evaluation from the University of Portsmouth in 2006. He holds a commercial pilot’s licence and maintains his flying.

During Tim’s Principia mission to the International Space Station, he conducted a spacewalk to repair the Station’s power supply. Other highlights saw him drive a rover across a simulated Mars terrain from space, taking part in over 250 scientific experiments for ESA and international partners and helping to dock two spacecraft to the Station. Over thirty education outreach projects were conducted during Tim’s mission, which have reached more than two million students.

Tim is an ambassador for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) and works closely with the United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA) and the UK government on their space, education and outreach programmes. He is also an ambassador for The Prince’s Trust, the Scouts and has a close affiliation with Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Make-A-Wish foundation.

Tim sits on the Advisory Board for two ‘new space’ companies, Skyrora Ltd and Blue Abyss Diving Ltd. He was a founding member of the Defence Innovation External Advisory Panel in 2017, where he served for eighteen months.

He was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the Queen’s 2016 Birthday Honours for services to space research and scientific education.

Tim is married with two sons. Among his leisure activities he enjoys skiing, scuba diving, cross-country running, climbing and motorcycling.