Rate My Professor Tim Chambers

Dr Tim Chambers is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington, within the Division of Health Sciences. He completed his PhD in Public Health from the University of Otago in 2018, with a thesis titled 'The nature and extent of alcohol advertising in children's environments.' His PhD research was funded by the University of Otago Special Research PhD Scholarship and a Fulbright New Zealand award. Chambers holds additional degrees in Physical Education and Classical Studies. After obtaining his doctorate, he advanced to the role of Senior Research Fellow, where he leads the Environmental research (Air and Water) group. He has also undertaken a Visiting Scientist position in Public Health at Harvard University.

Chambers' academic interests center on public health and preventive medicine, particularly environmental health issues related to drinking water quality in New Zealand. His research examines nitrate contamination in public water supplies and its associations with adverse health outcomes, including colorectal cancer, preterm births, neural tube defects, and enteric diseases, frequently at levels below the national Maximum Acceptable Value. Key publications include 'Nitrate contamination in drinking water and colorectal cancer: Exposure assessment and estimated health burden in New Zealand' (Environmental Research, 2022), 'Nitrate in drinking water and cancer risk: the biological mechanism, epidemiological evidence and future research' (Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 2022), 'Nitrate in drinking water and pregnancy outcomes' (PLOS Water, 2024), and 'A National-Scale Historical Assessment of Nitrate in Public Drinking Water Supplies in New Zealand' (Water Environment Research, 2026). He has also published on fluoride compliance in water supplies, alcohol marketing to children, obesity, and COVID-19 contact tracing technologies. Chambers received Health Research Council funding for a project investigating nitrate impacts on preterm births (2022–2025) and a University of Otago Accelerator Grant in 2021. His work supports policy discussions on water quality standards and infrastructure reforms to safeguard public health.