Rate My Professor Tim Roberts

Emeritus Professor Tim Roberts is Emeritus Professor of Biology in the School of Environmental and Life Sciences at the University of Newcastle, within the Faculty of Science. Originally from South Australia, he earned a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the University of Adelaide, and a PhD in Biological Sciences from Flinders University. He joined the University of Newcastle in 1974, progressing to key leadership roles including Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Science and Information Technology from 2002 to 2006, inaugural Dean of the University of Newcastle Singapore Campus from 2006 to 2008, Dean of Research at James Cook University Singapore Campus from 2008 to 2010, and Director of the Tom Farrell Institute for the Environment from 2010 to 2018. He is Founding Director of InnovAAte Pty Ltd, a biotechnology spinoff based on patented research quantifying amino acid losses in human and horse sweat, advancing understanding of protein turnover and metabolic health.

Roberts specializes in chronic diseases and environmental sustainability. His multidisciplinary research with Associate Professor Hugh Dunstan reveals a chronic catabolic state linked to persistent infection as the common biochemical basis for chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, dyslexia, and autism, prompting a field shift toward infection-focused interventions. Developments include the amino acid supplement Fatigue Reviva. In environmental science, his projects address regional sustainability through conservation, biodiversity, water and soil solutions, and post-mining rehabilitation, exemplified by the Paringin pit lake model and swampy forest systems for coal mine wastewater in Indonesia. With around 170 publications and 3,820 citations, key works encompass "Development of a complex amino acid supplement, Fatigue RevivaTM for oral ingestion" (2013), "Significant Changes in Cytoplasmic Amino Acid Composition Occur in the Transition between Mid-Exponential and Stationary Phases of Growth of Staphylococcus aureus" (2023), and "Novel Swampy Forest System as a Strategy to Meet Coal Mine Wastewater Discharge Compliance Requirements in Indonesia" (2024). He supervised 16 postgraduate students to completion and obtained substantial grants. Roberts established the Supernova Hands-on Science Centre in the 1980s, supports the Hunter Innovation and Science Hub as President, and serves as Patron of the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens. Awards include Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2022 and the Convocation Medal for Exceptional Contribution in 2022.