Timothy Barker

Dr Timothy Barker

Transfer Science Research Fellow

School of Public Health

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Dr. Timothy Barker is a Research Fellow within the Transfer Science team at the Joanna Briggs Institute. He is an emerging systematic review and research methodologist and is actively involved in projects investigating how we can improve the conduct and reporting of research. He has significant experience in systematic reviews and contributes to the teaching and coordination of the JBI Comprehensive Systematic Review Training Program. JBI is an evidence-based healthcare research institute working towards a vision of the world in which the best available evidence is used to inform decision making at the point of care globally. JBI hosts the Joanna Briggs Collaboration, a network of 80 centres and groups with thousands of people contributing to this vision across the globe.

Previous research highlights includes work that focussed on the maintenance and improvement of animal welfare and welfare detection methods. During his PhD he developed and critically appraised a Judgment-Bias Test (JBT) as an effective and practical method of welfare assessment. Being able to accurately measure welfare state is an important consideration for all animal use in research and teaching. With JBT testing in its relative infancy multiple confounding variables and factors often overlooked in the scientific literature were considered and compared as part of Timothy’s PhD thesis. This led to the recommendation that although the JBT can accurately identify animal affect, the associated burdens that accompany its use suggest it to be a poor practical method of welfare assessment.

Timothy is an early-career researcher who has won multiple awards during his academic life, including

1st place in the 2016 School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences ‘3 Minute Thesis’ competition at the University of Adelaide

2nd place in the 2017 School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences ‘3 Minute Thesis’ competition at the University of Adelaide

Winner of the 2018, School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Publication Award Incentive Scheme

2018 Nomination and Semi Finalist in the Channel 9 Young Achiever Awards

Timothy Barker conducts research investigating:

  • Effective and efficient health practices
  • Evidence-based healthcare
  • Animal Welfare
  • Animal Behaviour
  • Evidence transfer and knowledge translation
  • Clinical guideline development methods
  • Systematic review methodology
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  • Journals
    Year Citation
    2019 Groves, P., Barker, T., George, R., & Whittaker, A. (2019). Is evidence of empathy in laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus) associated with pessimistic bias and increased anxiety-like behaviours?. Behavioural Brain Research.
    2018 Barker, T., Howarth, G., & Whittaker, A. (2018). Increased latencies to respond in a judgment bias test are not associated with pessimistic biases in rats. Behavioural Processes, 146, 64-66.
    DOI Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC1
    2018 Barker, T., Kind, K., Groves, P., Howarth, G., & Whittaker, A. (2018). Oestrous phase cyclicity influences judgment biasing in rats. Behavioural Processes, 157, 678-684.
    DOI Scopus1
    2018 George, R. P., Barker, T. H., Howarth, G. S., & Whittaker, A. L. (2018). Reliability of a judgement bias test to assess the effects of metabolic cage housing on mice.. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science.
    2018 George, R., Barker, T., Lymn, K., Bigatton, D., Howarth, G., & Whittaker, A. (2018). A judgement bias test to assess affective state and potential therapeutics in a rat model of chemotherapy-induced mucositis. Scientific Reports, 8(8193), 9 pages.
    DOI WoS1
    2017 Barker, T., George, R., Howarth, G., & Whittaker, A. (2017). Assessment of housing density, space allocation and social hierarchy of laboratory rats on behavioural measures of welfare. PLoS ONE, OnlinePubl(9), 1-22.
    DOI Scopus4 WoS4 Europe PMC3
    2017 Barker, T., Howarth, G. S., & Whittaker, A. (2017). Extinction of learning: The performance of rats on an active-choice, judgment bias paradigm.. Animal Cognition.
    2017 Barker, T., Bobrovskaya, L., Howarth, G., & Whittaker, A. (2017). Female rats display fewer optimistic responses in a judgment bias test in the absence of a physiological stress response. Physiology and Behavior, 173, 124-131.
    DOI Scopus6 WoS5 Europe PMC2
    2016 Barker, T., Howarth, G. S., & Whittaker, A. L. (2016). Lessons learnt from 12 years of cognitive bias testing in animals: the practicalities and pitfalls of designing judgement bias tests. Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
    2016 Barker, T., Howarth, G., & Whittaker, A. (2016). The effects of metabolic cage housing and sex on cognitive bias expression in rats. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 177, 70-76.
    DOI Scopus8 WoS7
    2016 George, R., Barker, T., Howarth, G., & Whittaker, A. (2016). Mice do not exhibit pessimistic judgement biases in response to metabolic cage housing: reflection on housing type or cognitive bias methodologies. Physiology and Behavior.

  • Conference Papers
    Year Citation
    2016 Barker, T. H., Howarth, G. S., & Whittaker, A. L. (2016). Judgement Biases: Metabolic cage housing and sex effects. In Applied Animal Behaviour Science. Adelaide, South Australia: Elsevier BV.

  • Conference Items
    Year Citation
    2019 Whittaker, A., & Barker, T. H. (2019). Is It Really All Positive? Inherent Factors Influencing Judgement Bias Responses in Rats. Poster session presented at the meeting of Australasia-Africa - International Society for Applied Ethology Regional Conference. Wellington, New Zealand.
    2017 Barker, T. H., George, R. P., Howarth, G. S., & Whittaker, A. L. (2017). The Assessment of Housing Density and Social Hierarchy of Laboratory Rats on Behavioural Measures to Assess Welfare. Poster session presented at the meeting of 2017 Australian & New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching Conference, ‘Maintaining Social License in a Changing World’. Queenstown, New Zealand.
    2017 George, R. P., Barker, T., Lymn, K., Howarth, G., & Whittaker, A. (2017). Is chemotherapy-induced mucositis associated with pessimistic behaviour as demonstrated by negative judgement biases in the rat?. Poster session presented at the meeting of Australian Society for Medical Research. South Australia.
    2017 George, R. P., Barker, T. H., Lymn, K., Howarth, G. S., & Whittaker, A. L. (2017). Cognitive bias as a measure of affective state in a rat model of chemotherapy-induced mucositis. Poster session presented at the meeting of Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference. South Australia.
    2016 Barker, T. H., Howarth, G. S., & Whittaker, A. L. (2016). Judgment Biases: Metabolic cage housing and sex effects. Poster session presented at the meeting of Australian and New Zealand Laboratory Animal Association. Auckland, New Zealand.
    2016 Barker, T., Howarth, G., & Whittaker, A. (2016). Correlation between cognitive bias and other measures of stress in rats. Poster session presented at the meeting of International Society for Applied Ethology. Edinburgh.
    2016 George, R., Barker, T., Howarth, G., & Whittaker, A. (2016). Mice do not exhibit pessimistic judgement biases in response to metabolic cage housing: reflection on housing type or cognitive bias methodologies.. Poster session presented at the meeting of Australian and New Zealand Laboratory Animal Conference. Auckland.
    2016 George, R., Barker, T., Howarth, G., & Whittaker, A. (2016). Mice do not exhibit pessimistic judgement biases in response to metabolic cage housing: reflection on housing type or cognitive bias methodologies.. Poster session presented at the meeting of Australian Society for Medical Research. Adelaide.
    2015 Barker, T., Howarth, G., & Whittaker, A. (2015). The effects of metabolic cage housing and sex on cognitive bias expression in rats. Poster session presented at the meeting of Abstracts of the Australia and New Zealand Laboratory Animal Conference (ANZLAA 2015). Adelaide, Australia: Australian and New Zealand Laboratory Animal Association.

  • Report for External Bodies
    Year Citation
    2018 Barker, T., Campbell, J., Stern, C., Munn, Z., & Aromataris, E. (2018). Smoking Cessation Guideline Update: Technical report of evidence review and Summary of Findings.
    2018 Barker, T., Stern, C., Aromataris, E. C., & Munn, Z. (2018). Smoking Cessation Guideline Update: Evidence to Decision Framework and Recommendations for Practice.

2018, The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Smoking Cessation Guideline Update (Co-investigator) 

2018, Joanna Briggs Institute, Course Facilitator, Comprehensive Systematic Review Training Program http://joannabriggs.org/education/short-courses/csrtp

2018, Joanna Briggs Institute, Course Facilitator, Evidence-based Clinical Fellowship Program http://joannabriggs.org/jbi-education.html#courses 

2014-2018, University of Adelaide, Lecturer and Tutor, Laboratory Animal Sciences III https://www.adelaide.edu.au/course-outlines/103534/1/sem-2/ 

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  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2019 Co-Supervisor A Systematic Review of the Effects of Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), Magnesium-Zinc and B Vitamins on the Levels of Stress Experienced by Working Women Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Delia McCabe
    2019 Co-Supervisor Systematic review and meta-analysis of the outcomes of low cost mesh in hernioplasty in low and middle income countries Master of Clinical Science Master Full Time Ashish Immanuel Vaska

  • Other Supervision Activities
    Date Role Research Topic Location Program Supervision Type Student Load Student Name
    2018 - ongoing Co-Supervisor Attention-bias as a measure of animal welfare and emotion University of Adelaide Bachelor of Science (Hons) Honours Full Time Sheryn Thomas
  • Position: Transfer Science Research Fellow
  • Phone: 83132932
  • Email: timothy.barker@adelaide.edu.au
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Norwich Centre, floor 3
  • Org Unit: Joanna Briggs Institute
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