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Staff Profile

  • Toby graduated from Nottingham Trent University with a BSc (Hons) degree in Geography, undertook postgraduate studies in Global Environmental Change at King’s College London, before returning to Nottingham Trent University to embark on his doctoral studies. Toby also holds PGCert in Higher Education (University of Derby) and fellowship status with the Higher Education Academy.

    Toby was appointed to the position of Lecturer in Physical Geography at the University of Derby (2016 – 2021) and joined the team at Northampton in late 2021. He delivers teaching on the topics of Geographic Information Systems, remote sensing, geohazards, and geomorphology.

  • Toby contributes to teaching across the Geographical and Environmental Science subject area. He acts as the module leader for the following:

    • Geohazards
    • Geographic Information Systems
    • Life on Earth
    • Monitoring the Earth’s Surface
  • Toby is research active in the fields of geomorphology, glaciology, and remote sensing. He has led or contributed to published work on topics including:

    • the use of UAVs in geoscientific research;
    • the internal structure of glacial landforms;
    • the application of Schmidt Hammer Dating in the British Isles;
    • the evolution of glacial environments during deglaciation;
    • the use of computer-vision for reconstructing former glacier extent from archive (historical) imagery.
  • For publications, projects, datasets, research interests and activities, view Toby Tonkin’s research profile on Pure, the University of Northampton’s Research Explorer.

  • Under review:

    • Tonkin, T.N. (under review). Paraglacial adjustment of a steep Alpine lateral moraine: Bas Glacier d’Arolla, Switzerland.
    • Tonkin, T.N. and Boulay, A. (under review). Student experiences of assessment feedback in the geography subject area: insights from a post-1992 institution.

    Published peer-reviewed articles:

    • Tonkin, T.N. (2022). Schmidt Hammer exposure-age dating of glacial landforms in the Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland, Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie, 64 (1), 39 – 52.
    • Tomkins, M., Dortch, J., Hughes, P., Huck, J., Tonkin., T., Barr, I. (2018). Timing of glacial retreat in the Wicklow Mountains, Ireland, conditioned by glacier size and topography. Journal of Quaternary Science, 33 (6), 611-623.
    • Midgley, N.G., Tonkin, T.N., Graham, D.J. and Cook, S.J. (2018). Evolution of high-Arctic glacier landforms during deglaciation. Geomorphology, 311, 63-75.
    • Tonkin, T.N., Midgley, N.G., Graham, D.J. and Labadz, J.C. (2017). Internal structure and significance of ice-marginal moraine in the Kebnekaise Mountains, northern Sweden. Boreas, 46 (2), 199-211.
    • Midgley, N.G. and Tonkin, T.N. (2017). Reconstruction of former glacier surface topography from archive oblique aerial images. Geomorphology, 282, 18-26.
    • Tonkin, T.N. and Midgley, N.G. (2016). Ground-control networks for image-based surface reconstruction: An investigation of optimum survey designs using UAV derived imagery and Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry. Remote Sensing, 8, 786.
    • Tonkin, T.N., Midgley, N.G., Cook, S.J. and Graham, D.J. (2016). Ice-cored moraine degradation mapped and quantified using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: A case study from a polythermal glacier in Svalbard. Geomorphology, 258, 1-10.
    • Cook, S.J., Tonkin, T.N., Midgley, N.G. and Wicikowski, A. (2015). Analysis of ‘hummocky moraine’ using Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry. North West Geography, 15, 9-18.
    • Tonkin, T.N., Midgley, N.G., Graham, D.J. and Labadz, J.C. (2014). The potential of small unmanned aircraft systems and structure-from-motion for topographic surveys: A test of emerging integrated approaches at Cwm Idwal, North Wales. Geomorphology, 226, 35-43.
    • Midgley, N.G, Cook, S.J., Graham, D.J and Tonkin, T.N. (2013). Origin, evolution and dynamic context of a Neoglacial lateral–frontal moraine at Austre Lovénbreen, Svalbard. Geomorphology, 198, 96-106.