12.01.07
Top Cornish academic recruited to Tremough

Dr Simon Naylor is the latest prestigious recruit for the University of Exeter to the Tremough Campus in Penryn. Originally from West Cornwall, Dr Naylor is returning to Cornwall to join the University of Exeter's Geography Department. He comes from the University of Bristol, has previously worked at the University of Oxford and studied in Swansea and Keele. He joins the Campus, which is part of the Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative, this month.

Dr Naylor was born and grew up in Camborne and then Illogan. His family has been in Cornwall since at least the 1700s. Mainly based in Portreath and Illogan, many of his ancestors were miners. His great grandfather was the manager of the coal-yard at Portreath docks, while his great grandmother ran a school in Illogan.

Now living in Penryn, Dr Naylor says: "Although it was great to work at old, established universities like Oxford and Bristol, the Tremough Campus presents an opportunity to develop in new directions while also being part of the prestigious University of Exeter. There are excellent academics based at Tremough and it's a very exciting time to be joining them."

Dr Naylor is a historical geographer specialising in the history of science. He has spent much of his career so far researching 18th and 19th century science in Cornwall, including studying Cornish antiquarianism, meteorology and natural history. He has researched many of Cornwall's scientific institutions, including the Royal Institution of Cornwall, Falmouth's Polytechnic Society and the Penzance Natural History and Antiquarian Society. He also specialises in 20th century Antarctic science and the history of exploration.

Dr Naylor has moved back to Cornwall with his Canadian wife, Larissa Naylor, who will also be working in the Geography Department. He looks forward to making the most of the opportunities for outdoor activities that his new location presents, including running, cycling and hiking.

The £100 million Tremough campus is a Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative, of which the University of Exeter and University College Falmouth are two of the founding partners. It is funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One), the South West Regional Development Agency and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall County Council. Set in 70 acres of countryside, but close to the waterside towns of Penryn and Falmouth, the campus offers a lively student community. The University of Exeter is expanding its courses available to include Politics, Law and History to existing degrees in Mining Engineering, Geology, Biology, Geography, English and Renewable Energy.

For further information contact Sarah Hoyle of the University of Exeter on 01392 262062 or email S.Hoyle@exeter.ac.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) project, both Phase 1 and Phase 2 through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF). The University of Exeter is a partner in the CUC.

Editor's notes:

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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