Dr T Matthew Robson, PhD

Biography

Plant ecophysiology is my general research area and as part of my current position I sometimes teach courses in Physiological Plant Ecology and Ecosystem Ecology within the integrative plant science programme at Helsinki University.

 

I largely work as a field ecologist, recently publishing on issues related to (1) tree species range shift and phenology, (2) photobiology involving signalling from UV radiation and changes in spectral quality, (3) plant community & ecosystem processes under land use change, and (4) functional trait responses to stress combinations.  My teaching experience includes planning, coordinating and giving practical field courses in ecology, as well as lecturing and supervision. 

https://blogs.helsinki.fi/robson/
X: @CanopySEE

http://ozone.unep.org/science/assessment/eeap

Qualifications and memberships

Adjunct Professor in Plant Ecology (Docent) Helsinki University, Finland 19-10-2012

Ecology (PhD) Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA. (Advisor, Martyn M Caldwell) 01-05-2004

Forest Science (M.Sc.) Institute of Ecology & Resource Management, University of Edinburgh, UK. (Advisor, John Grace) 01-11-1998

Biological Sciences (B.Sc. Hons. 2:1 Dunelm) Collingwood College, Durham University, UK. (Advisor, Phil Hulme) 07-07-1996

Academic and research interests

Forest canopies create complex heterogeneous environments supporting multiple species. I research how canopies are formed by the sunlight they receive and take information from that sunlight to enact changes in the optical properties of leaves of their contingent species. This knowledge allows us to better model photosynthesis and ecosystem processes in forests and to gain a deeper understanding of their ecology. It can also be applied to improve crop selection and productivity and to assess how stable vs fluctuating experimental conditions affect plant performance.

Research supervision

I supervise post-doctoral, doctoral and masters students studying the effects of the spectral composition of sunlight in forest canopies and understorey on trees, understorey plants and decomposing litter. I also supervise students funded by the Norwegian Research Council looking for paleoecological pollen proxies to trace long-term trends in global solar UV radiation. 

I also supervise final year undergraduates in Woodland Ecology and Conservation at the University of Cumbria studying diverse topics related to how trees and forests respond to environmental conditions and their potential resilience to climate change.

Publications

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8631-796X

https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/t-matthew-robson

Recent external roles

I am lead author for Terrestrial Ecosystems and Biogeochemical Cycling on the UNEP Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (EEAP) based around the interactions of climate and ozone depletion at a global scale. As a panel, we synthesize and disseminate knowledge on the anthropogenic impacts of climate change on the environment (see Barnes et al., 2019 Nature Sustainability). The breadth of assessment also incorporates global terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, biogeochemical cycling, pollution and human health.

Since 2013 I have headed a Research Group at the University of Helsinki studying the interaction of plant canopies with sunlight. This diverse international group has broad multidisciplinary knowledge in plant biology, ecology and forest research, and currently includes four funded PhD students and one post doc.

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