education
PhD in Social and Ecological Sustainability, University of Waterloo, 09.2014-02.2020
Master of Arts in Global Development Studies, Queen’s University, 2009-2010
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Economics, University of Winnipeg, 2004-2009
Professional experience
Senior Program Officer, Agriculture Climate Solutions, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2024-present.
Currently completing Management Leadership Development Program
Co-Chair of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Women in STEM Network
Policy Analyst, Food Policy Division, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2022-2024.
Received Instant Award, 2022
Policy Advisor II, International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021
Project Manager, International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2019-2021
Coordinator, Waterloo Food Issues Group, 2018-2019
Program Associate, Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa & Asia, IDRC, 2014
Research Award Recipient, Agriculture & Food Security, IDRC, 2013
Program Associate, Aquatic Agricultural Systems, WorldFish, 2012
Research Assistant, Policy, Economics and Social Sciences, WorldFish, 2011
Value Addition Officer, Canadian Cooperative Association, 2010
awards
Student Leadership Award, University of Waterloo, 2019
Queen Elizabeth Advanced Scholarship, Universities Canada, 2018 (declined)
Graduate Research Scholarship, University of Waterloo, 2017
Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship - Doctoral Award, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, 2016
University of Waterloo President’s Scholarship, 2016
Doctoral Research Award, International Development Research Centre, 2016
SSHRC Graduate Scholarship, University of Waterloo, 2016
International Experience Award, University of Waterloo, 2016
Summer Research Scholarship, Ontario-Jiangsu Student Exchange, 2015
Provost Doctoral Entrance Award for Women, University of Waterloo, 2014
Research Award, International Development Research Centre, 2013
community service
Vice-Chair, Food Matters Manitoba, 2019-2022.
Adviser, Canadian Executive Service Organization, 2019-present.
Director, Community Indicators Consortium, 2020-2021
Director, University of Waterloo Graduate Student Association, 2017-2018.
Mentor, Student Teaching Excellence Committee, University of Waterloo, 2016-2019.
Writer, Food System Roundtable of Waterloo Region, 2016-2019.
Director, University of Waterloo Graduate Student Endowment Fund, 2015-2017.
Court Accompaniment Volunteer, Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region, 2015.
Bingo Coordinator, Cornerstone Housing for Women, 2013-2014.
publications
Timmers, B. and Sidney, A. Localizing the 2030 Agenda with Community Data: Lessons from the Community Foundations of Canada’s Vital Signs Program. Foundation Review, 13(4).
Timmers, B., Weibe, K. and Jungcurt, S. (2021). Tracking progress towards sustainable development in cities Lessons from Peg, Winnipeg, Canada’s community indicator system. In: Performance Metrics for Sustainable Cities, 73-81.
Weibe, K., Timmers, B. and Jungcurt, S. (2021). Overcoming barriers: From Peg to a shared Tracking-Progress platform. In: Performance Metrics for Sustainable Cities.
Bizikova, L., Nkonya, E., Minah, M. et al. (2020). A scoping review of the contributions of farmers’ organizations to smallholder agriculture. Nature Food 1, 620–630.
Timmers, B. (2020). Growing What We Eat, Eating What We Grow: Investigating the Enduring Role of Jamaica’s Domestic Food System (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada.
Kinlocke, R., Thomas-Hope, E.T.H., Jardine-Comrie, A., Timmers, B., Ferguson, T., McCordic, C. (2019). The State of Household Food Security in Kingston, Jamaica. Hungry Cities Report No. 15.
Timmers, B. 2018. Review of The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Micheal W. Twitty. Gastronomica, 18(3): 96-7.
Thomas-Hope, E.T.H., Kinlocke, R., Ferguson, T., Heslop-Thomas, C., Timmers, B. (2017). The Urban Food System of Kingston, Jamaica. Hungry Cities Report No. 4.
Timmers, B. 2017. Review of Give a man a fish: reflections on the new politics of distribution, by James Ferguson. Canadian Journal of Development Studies, 38(4): 594-596.
Timmers, B. 2014. Gender and the Fish Value Chain, Lake Wamala, Uganda. Final Report. International Development Research Centre: Ottawa, Canada.
Crissman, C.C., Abernethy, K., Delaporte, A., Timmers, B. 2013. A Practical Guide for Ex-ante Impact Evaluation in Fisheries and Aquaculture. CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems: Penang, Malaysia. AAS-2013-04.
Timmers, B. 2012. Impacts of Climate Change and Variability on Fish Value Chains in Uganda. The WorldFish Center: Penang, Malaysia. Project Report No 2012-18.
Presentations
Timmers, B. (2020). COVID-19 and Food Security: from Emergency to Equity. Canadian Community Economic Development Network Gathering, December 2. Role: Moderator.
Timmers, B. (2020). Adaptation Actions in Northern Prairie Communities. Prairie Regional Adaptation Collaborative, October 29. Role: Moderator.
Timmers, B. (2020). Tracking-Progress toward Sustainable Development: the Role of Community Data for Evidence-Based Recovery. Learning from geo open data platforms that worked in the midst of a pandemic. United Nations World Data Forum, 19 October. Role: Invited panel speaker.
Timmers, B. (2020). Using Data for Positive Impact: Lessons from Peg, Winnipeg’s Community Indicator System. Peace Days, 17 September. Role: Invited panel speaker.
Timmers, B. & Baker, J. (2020). Building Evidence-based Community Resilience in Winnipeg:
Peg’s Relevance in COVID Recovery. Community Indicators Consortium Annual Conference, 5 August. Role: Invited panel speaker.
Timmers, B. (2019). Broadening Solutions for Food Sovereignty? Evaluating the Role of Embedded Food Markets in Jamaica. American Association of Geographers Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., 4 April.
Timmers, B. (2018). Supporting Rural-Urban Linkages for Self-Reliance in Jamaica. International Conference on Urbanization, Food Systems and Sustainability in the Global South, Balsillie School of International Affairs, Waterloo, Canada, 3 July.
‘Growing What We Eat, Eating What We Grow: Linking Urban Food Access and the Domestic Market in Jamaica’. Canadian Association of Food Studies, University of Regina, Regina, Canada, May, 2018. Chair: Beth Timmers. Panelists: Ning Dai, Danshu Qi, Tammara Soma, Beth Timmers.
‘Food Self-Sufficiency in the Corporate Food Regime: Insights from Policy and Practice in Jamaica’. International Studies Association. San Francisco, USA. April, 2018. Chair: Andrea Collins. Panelists: Hilal Elver, Nora McKeon, Philip McMichael, Beth Timmers.
‘Feminist Approaches to International Development’. University of Waterloo, Canada, January, 2018. University of Waterloo, Canada. Chair: Jean Andrey. Participants: The Hon. Marie Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development, Andrea Collins, Susan Elliot, Amanda Joynt, Samantha King, Elizabeth Opiyo, Andrea Rishworth, Lexi Sault, Beth Timmers, Olaf Weber, Lacey Willmott.
‘Sustainable Food Security for Growing Cities: Investigating Rural-Urban Linkages in Jamaica.’ WATFIG Graduate Conference, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada, April, 2016.
‘The Fishery of Lake Wamala’. Video. Exploration Gallery, Canadian Association of Food Studies, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada, May, 2015.
‘Gender and the Fish Value Chain, Lake Wamala, Uganda’. Canadian Association for Studies in International Development. Brock University, St. Catharines, Canada, May, 2014.
teaching
Co-Lead, Experiential Field Course: Food in Jamaica. School of Enterprise, Economics and Development, University of Waterloo, February, 2017 & 2019.
Teaching Assistant, ERS 310: Environmental Thought, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, 2014-2017.
Teaching Assistant, DEVS 100: Canada and the Third World Department of Global Development Studies, Queen’s University, September, 2009.
Teaching Assistant, ECON 2102: Intermediate Economics (Micro) & ECON 1102: Introduction to Economics (Micro), Department of Economics, University of Winnipeg, 2008-2009.