Dr Hannah Robson

Wetland Bioscience Manager

About me

From an early age I knew I wanted to be scientist. My undergraduate degree in Forensic Science, gave me a strong scientific grounding and emphasised a methodical and rigorous approach. It was during my undergraduate dissertation that my long-standing interest in entomology developed in a more focused research and career interest. Following a Masters in Conservation and work with the Wildlife Trusts, I began working at WWT in 2010. During my time at WWT I have worked on a range of wetland research projects including; microscope based avian diet analysis (Common Scoter, Common Crane and Madagascar Pochard), wetland habitat assessments (ponds, upland lakes, headwater streams and saltmarshes), a PhD in palaeolimnology and establishing WWT’s in-house Wetland Science laboratory.

In 2019 I took on leadership of WWT’s Wetland BioScience team.

My role

As Wetland BioScience Manager in WWT’s Conservation Evidence Department, my role focuses on managing a team of biodiversity and species-recovery based scientists and setting the strategic direction for our BioScience research. As a team we work on a diverse range of ecological research in the UK and internationally that provides the scientific underpinning of both WWT’s on the ground wetland conservation projects as well as our policy and advocacy work.

My personal research interests focus on the development of innovative techniques and novel approaches that can directly support wetland restoration and management and influence policy, particularly as it relates declining species and overlooked wetlands habitats.

Experience and interests

• Wetland species recovery/biodiveristy science
• Palaeolimnology
• Wetland Monitoring including; species level freshwater invertebrate identification, and subfossil remains including chironomids, diatoms and macrofossils identification
• Riverfly (and extended Riverfly) trainer
• Laboratory management

Publications

• Lamb, A.L., Barst, B.D., Elder, C.D., Engels, S., Francis, C., van Hardenbroek, M., Heiri, O., Lombino, A., Robson, H.J., Walter Anthony, K., Wooller, M.J., 2024. Stable isotope analyses of lacustrine chitinous invertebrate remains: Analytical advances, challenges and potential. Quaternary Science Reviews 346, 109067. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.109067
• Robson, H.J., Jones, V.J., Brooks, S.J., Sayer, C.D., Douse, A., Hilton, G.M., 2023. Borrowing from the palaeolimnologists toolkit; the use of lake sediment cores in diagnosing the causes of freshwater species decline. Frontiers in Conservation Science 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2023.1161732
• Smith, L.P., Clarke, L.E., Weldon, L., Robson, H.J., 2022. An evidence-based study mapping the decline in freshwater ponds in the Severn Vale catchment in the UK between 1900 and 2019. Hydrobiologia 849, 4637–4649. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-022-05000-w
• Hancock, M.H., Robson, H.J., Smith, T.D., Stephen, A., Byrne, P., MacLennan, A., Klein, D., Mitchell, C., Griffin, L.R., Hilton, G., Dobson, H., Douse, A., 2020. From a research study to a conservation partnership: Developing approaches to restoring common scoter populations. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 30, 1770–1774. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3414
• Lewis-Phillips, J., Brooks, S.J., Sayer, C.D., Patmore, I.R., Hilton, G.M., Harrison, A., Robson, H.J., Axmacher, J.C., 2020. Ponds as insect chimneys: Restoring overgrown farmland ponds benefits birds through elevated productivity of emerging aquatic insects. Biological Conservation 241, 108253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108253
• Petersen, I.K., Frederiksen, M., Petersen, A., Robson, H.J., Einarsson, Á., Nielsen, R.D., Harrison, A.L., Cervencl, A., Fox, A.D., 2020. Recent increase in annual survival of nesting female Common Scoter Melanitta nigra in Iceland. Journal of Ornithology 162, 135–141. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-020-01818-0
• Robson, H.J., Jones, V.J., Hilton, G.M., Brooks, S., Sayer, C.D., Douse, A., 2019. Combined palaeolimnological and ecological approach provides added value for understanding the character and drivers of recent environmental change in Flow Country lakes. Mires and Peat 1–22. https://doi.org/10.19189/MaP.2018.OMB.386
• August, T.A., West, S.E., Robson, H.J. Lyon, J., Huddart, J., Velasquez, L.F., Thornhill, I., 2019. Citizen meets social science: predicting volunteer involvement in a global freshwater monitoring experiment. Freshwater Science 38, 321–331. https://doi.org/10.1086/703416
• Lewis-Phillips, J., Brooks, S.J., Sayer, C.D., McCrea, R., Siriwardena, G., Robson, H.J., Harrison, A.L., Axmacher, J.C., 2019. Seasonal benefits of farmland pond management for birds. Bird Study 66, 342–352. https://doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2019.1688762
• Stefanoudis, P.V., Sayer, C.D., Greaves, H.M., Davidson, T.A., Robson, H.J., Almeida, D., Smith, E., 2017. Consequences of fish for cladoceran, water beetle and macrophyte communities in a farmland pond landscape: implications for conservation. Fundamental and Applied Limnology 190, 141–156. https://doi.org/10.1127/fal/2017/1004
• Hancock, M.H., Robson, H.J., Smith, T.D., Douse, A., 2015. Correlates of lake use by breeding common scoters in Scotland. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 26, 749–767. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2606
• Bamford, A.J., Sam, T.S., Razafindrajao, F., Robson, H.J., Woolaver, L.G., Roland, L.A.R. de, 2014. The status and ecology of the last wild population of Madagascar Pochard łessi\greaterAythya innotatałess/i\greater. Bird Conservation International 25, 97–110. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0959270914000033