Robin Matthews

Biography

Robin has a background in plant science, and for over 35 years has been involved in modelling biological systems, ranging from the gene level to the global level. He has had a long experience in crop modelling, particularly of tropical crops, having developed models of Eucalyptus, cassava, and tea production, and has modelled the impact of climate change on rice production systems in Asia. Subsequently, he extended this work to soil processes, which has included work on methane emissions from rice agriculture, carbon sequestration under biomass plantations in the UK, the sustainability of carbon and nitrogen in cropping systems in Nepal, and symbiotic nitrogen fixation while a Visiting Professor at Kyoto University in Japan in 2003.

Research Interest

Robin's overall research interests are in the processes of change and adaptation in coupled socio-ecological systems in response to external drivers, and in using complex adaptive systems ideas and integrated modelling approaches, including agent-based models, to understand these processes. He is particularly interested in exploring these ideas in relation to mitigation and adaptation to climate change, and to the provision of ecosystem services.