Rate My Professor Tim Hess

Professor Tim Hess is Professor of Water and Food Systems at Cranfield University. He holds a BSc in Geography and an MSc in Agricultural Engineering (Land Resource Management). He joined Cranfield University as a Research Officer in 1981. In the early 1990s, he served as Resident Scientist with the Centre for Arid Zone Studies at the University of Maiduguri in Nigeria, during which time he completed his PhD examining the impact of climatic variability from 1961 to 1990 on the soil water balance of upland soils in the North East Arid Zone of Nigeria.

With more than 35 years of experience in research and consultancy, Professor Hess has specialised in the application of hydrology in managed rural environments, with a particular emphasis on irrigated agriculture in the UK and overseas. His work has supported sustainable food supply chains through collaborations with national and international organisations and major UK retailers. As an interdisciplinary scientist, he has applied ecosystem services approaches to water management issues. He has served on the British Hydrological Society National Committee, the UK Irrigation Association Executive Council, and various expert groups on water footprinting, including contributions to ISO standards and the National Ecosystem Assessment. Professor Hess has acted as Co-Investigator on multiple UK Research Council-funded projects addressing biodiversity, climate change impacts on agriculture, and agri-food industry training. His research contributions include publications on water-related risks in agrifood systems, drought resilience, irrigation efficiency, and water scarcity footprints of food production and consumption.