Dr Matthew Robson

Tell us a little about yourself

I enjoy doing experiments on trees and forests by altering the sunlight they receive; something that allows me to predict how they will respond to certain global changes.

This research led me to be elected to the UNEP panel that assesses the environmental effects of ozone depletion and climate change. The work of this panel keeps the world safe from excessive UV radiation and helps up to predict what will be the future effects of pollution and climate changes. Ensuring everyone, from the students to politicians, is well informed on the effects of climate change allows us to make good decisions about how to care for our environment. Meanwhile, illustrating the success of the Montreal Protocol provides hope for a better future!

What’s your industry background

I arrived in Cumbria in 2022 from the University of Helsinki where I still do some research into the effects of sunlight on trees. Prior to then I have studied the effects on climate change on plants and ecosystems all over the world, but focussing on North and South America and European Mediterranean and Alpine regions.

Can you tell us about your research?

I currently consider how photosynthesis and photoprotection change in response to fluctuations in light. This is important for productivity, meaning that it affects the growth rate of plants and the yield of crops. My research largely deals with how plants perceive and use light of different colours.

I am particularly interested in how climate change affects the timing of growth and reproduction in plants and animals.

What makes your course different?

Woodland Ecology and Conservation is a unique degree course in the UK, in that our students get a rounded educations as foresters, ecologists, and conservation scientists.  They obtain the skills to scale the ecological and applied approaches from Cumbria to the globe. We offer a programme whereby academic learning is always reenforced with field visits and this knowledge is applied in both commercial forests and woodland conservation areas. 

What advice would you give to students considering studying on this course?

This course is ideal for students who learn best through practice of their academic skills in the forest. There is no better place than the Lake District to do this because of the amazing diversity of forest types and landscape-level processes operating here. Come prepared to immerse yourself in the course and experience of becoming a woodland ecologist at the National School of Forestry. 

What’s your favourite thing about teaching at Cumbria?

The students that come here share a love of woodlands and a desire to improve our environment and the quality of forest management. They arrive with a diverse range of perspectives and ideas that enrich my experience as a lecturer and make the classes fun and exciting to teach. 

Start your story in Woodland Ecology and Conservation