Smart City Futures

Tim May is Professor and Co-Director of SURF.

Tim May originally trained and worked as an agricultural engineer. Following an evening return-to-study course he entered university at the age of 24. His first degree was from the London School of Economics and Political Science and he then went on to study for a M.Sc. in Social Research Methods at Surrey University (1986) and a Ph.D. at the University of Plymouth (1990). He was appointed to a lectureship at Plymouth (1989-95) where, amongst other work, he developed open learning materials and undertook studies of professional practice and organizational change in public services. He then moved to the University of Durham (1995-99) and was appointed to a Professorship at Salford in August 1999.

Tim's empirical work and advisory roles have been conducted in a number of organizations (Universities, Local Government, the Civil Service, Regional Development Agencies, Government Offices, Probation, Health, Prisons, Social Services, Research Foundations and the Engineering and Planning Sectors). He has held research grants from a large number of sources including the private sector; regional development agencies; Universities; Core Cities; Science Cities; Office of the Deputy Prime Minister; Higher Education Funding Council; Local Government Management Board; Economic and Social Research Council; City Councils and the NHS. Tim also works for universities advising them on intellectual, organizational and strategic developments and is a member of: ‘The Transatlantic Forum on the Future of Universities' (http://www.einaudi.cornell.edu/sshen/index.asp). Tim is listed in the ‘Dictionary of International Biography' and ‘The Cambridge Blue Book'.

Tim has written and edited 12 books that have been translated into 14 languages. He has written on urban policy; universities and regional development; science policy; management and organizational change; politics and regional representation; social theory; research methodology and methods; thinking sociologically and philosophy of social science. He is the series editor of ‘Issues in Society' - an international book series with Open University Press/McGraw-Hill in which 17 books have been published. Along with current research commitments, Tim is working on a new book on the analysis of social relations and a 4th edition of a book on social research. With colleagues in SURF he is continuing work on universities in the knowledge economy; innovation and socio-economic development; frameworks for holistic views of city-regional development and the role of ‘active intermediaries' in effective knowledge exchange.