Timothy Hawthorne

About Timothy Hawthorne

As Chair and Full Professor of Geosciences at Auburn University, with nearly a decade of leadership experience, I focus on fostering interdisciplinary partnerships that are student-centered in geosciences, geography & environmental studies, and geology while advancing research and teaching excellence to directly impact society. Our department empowers students, faculty, staff, and partners to address critical issues at the intersection of Earth, environment, and society. My own team-centered work integrates applied and community-based research and teaching as part of a commitment to the university\'s land, sea, and space grant missions, driving impactful solutions for both local and global communities. As the founding research director of Citizen Science GIS, I have cultivated global partnerships that make geospatial technologies accessible and actionable. These initiatives include multiple National Science Foundation-supported projects and innovative outreach efforts like Geo Explorer Labs and GeoBus, which inspire K-12 students through hands-on STEM education. Passionate about leveraging GIS and drones for social impact, I aim to bridge science and community engagement to empower the next generation of changemakers.

Experience

1. Founding Research Director

   Citizen Science Gis & Geo Explorer Labs

   Jul 2015 — Present · Auburn, AL, US

   I am the founding research director of Citizen Science GIS, an international organization based Auburn University. We make science more accessible and understandable by cultivating geospatial technology partnerships between communities and scientists across the globe. We are an Esri Special Achievement in GIS Awardee and have led or co-led several U.S. National Science Foundation awards to support our work around the globe.

Education

• The Ohio State University

  PhD

  2005 — 2010

• West Virginia University

  Masters of Arts

  2003 — 2005

• Ohio Wesleyan University

  Bachelor of Arts

  1999 — 2003

Skills

• History
• Grant Writing
• Spss
• Research Design
• Geomatics
• Curriculum Design
• Data Analysis
• Gps
• Lecturing
• Remote Sensing
• Teamwork
• Esri
• Global Positioning System (Gps)
• Geography
• Geology
• Environmental Science
• Gis
• Qualitative Research
• Leadership
• Data Collection
• Report Writing
• University Teaching
• Science
• Community Outreach
• Cartography
• Higher Education
• Teaching
• Arcgis
• Geographic Information Systems (Gis)
• Spatial Analysis
• Statistics
• Arcmap
• Erdas Imagine
• Urban Geography
• Public Speaking
• Earth Science
• Research
• Spatial Databases