Ex-Royal Marine and author Gareth Timmins joins Professional Doctoral Academy
The University of Huddersfield has welcomed Gareth Timmins, a former Royal Marines Commando, bestselling author and emerging behavioural and cognitive scientist, into its Professional Doctoral Academy (PDA) as a PhD Candidate studying performance and decision making in high stakes environments.
Gareth, author of Becoming the 0.1%: Thirty-Four Lessons from the Diary of a Royal Marines Commando Recruit and The 0.1% Academy: Master the 7 Mindsets to Maintain Peak Performance, is joining the Academy to further his research on leadership, resilience and cognitive performance in high-pressure environments.
During his thirty-four weeks of elite Commando training in 2005, at the age of just twenty, Gareth documented his daily experiences in a diary, the first known account of its kind from within Royal Marines training.
His unique reflections later formed the foundation of his bestselling works, which combine lived experience with psychological insight to explore how mindset, focus and self-discipline underpin success in extreme environments.
Building on this foundation, Gareth’s research within the Professional Doctoral Academy will examine the psychological principles that sustain elite performance and adaptability in complex, high-stress operational settings. His work aims to contribute to the broader understanding of leadership, mental resilience and behavioural optimisation across policing, defence and emergency services.
Police, military and government professionals
The Professional Doctoral Academy, based at the University of Huddersfield, brings together leaders from policing, the armed forces and government to conduct applied research that shapes professional practice and policy. Its programmes are designed for senior practitioners who wish to contribute to their field through evidence-based study while continuing to serve in senior operational roles.
Professor John Synnott, Director of the Professional Doctoral Academy, said, “Gareth’s journey embodies the essence of the Academy, taking deep operational experience and translating it into research that can drive real-world impact. His background in elite military performance, combined with his academic insight into behavioural science, gives him a unique perspective on leadership and resilience.
"We are proud to have him join our growing community of senior professionals who are using research to enhance practice initially across policing and now in the arena of defence and security. His work will add a valuable dimension to our portfolio of practitioner-led studies.”
Gareth Timmins, reflecting on the next step in his journey said, “I’m delighted, grateful, and extremely excited for this opportunity at the University of Huddersfield. Having served in the Royal Marines and taken part in multiple military operations, followed by years working in high-level private security across regions such as Somalia and Afghanistan, I’ve gathered a wealth of lived experience from high-pressure and unpredictable environments.
"I now recognise the challenge - and opportunity - of bridging that operational knowledge with academic research. Through this work, I aim to advance our understanding of intuitive, experience-based decision-making and how it can be developed, trained, and applied within both military and civilian contexts.”
Professor Maria Ioannou, Deputy Director of the Professional Doctoral Academy, added: "Gareth’s research examines performance under extreme pressure, exploring how behavioural science, resilience and leadership intersect in high-stress environments.
"I’m passionate about advancing this growing field of applied psychological science and working with candidates like Gareth to develop research that leverages personal insight and lived experience to guide inquiry, deepen our understanding of human performance, and translate that knowledge into real-world impact."
For professionals interested in doctoral study within the Academy, please contact Ms Sandra Hirst, S.G.Hirst2@hud.ac.uk, Executive Officer of the Professional Doctoral Academy, who will facilitate an introductory meeting with Professor Synnott.