Professor Peter Robins

Ahro mewn Eigioneg Ffisegol

p.robins@bangor.ac.uk

–

Professor Peter Robins

Office location: Room 115, Marine Centre Wales, Menai Bridge

(Tel: 01248 383961)

Email:  p.robins@bangor.ac.uk

Author profiles: Google Scholar | Researchgate

I'm a Professor in Physical Oceanography at the School of Ocean Sciences. I gained my Degree in Mathematics and Physical Oceanography (2003) and Ph.D on internal tides (2008) from Bangor University. I'm interested in a wide range of human and biological impacts of coastal dynamics and change, with applications to coastal hazards (coastal flooding, water quality degradation, pollution and public health risk), coastal morphology, marine population dynamics and connectivity, and marine renewable energy resource and impact studies.

My research generally involves developing hydrodynamic models that simulate coastal processes, such as realistic representations of the past, future climate change impact studies, or hypothetical scenarios such as simulating flood mitigation, the impact of tidal-stream turbines on sediment transport, or marine population spread via larval dispersal. I'm especially interested in estuaries because of the multiple complex estuarine processes that affect communities and wildlife - and as there is still much to discover, with current research focussing on improving our understanding of compound flooding and public exposure to water-borne pathogens. I enjoy working with a wide range of scientists across different disciplines, with climate modellers to ensure their projections are relevant for coastal impact, and with coastal policy makers so that our research has real world outcomes. 

  • PhD: Modelling internal tides
    2008
  • MSc: Physical Oceanography and Maths

I currently supervise the following PhD students as primary supervisor:

Thomas Clough - Predicting future compound hazards of coastal flooding [KESS-Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, 2020-24]

Aaron Furnish - Pathways to Realistic Impact Modelling in Estuarine Areas [NERC ENVISION, 2021-25]

Megan O'Hara - What drives cold pulses at remote tropical reefs? [NERC ENVISION, 2022-25]

Ankita Bhattacharya - The influence of groundwater to future flood risk [NERC ENVISION, 2022-25]

Dani Crowley - The socio-ecological importance of elasmobranchs to coastal communities in a changing climate [NERC SuMMeR, 2024-28]

Adam Winrow - Modelling the fate of wastewater-derived human pathogenic fungi from catchment to coast [NERC RED-ALERT, 2024-28]

.... and as co-supervisor:

Deanna Groom - Historical Shipwrecks and the impacts of climate change [Private, 2021-24]

Claire Carrington - Understanding responses of coastal seabirds to local and daily-scale meteorological variations [NERC ENVISION, 2022-26]

Jake Jackman - There and back again: monitoring the returning fish to the Mersey estuary [Salford/Bangor/MerseyGateway, 2022-26]

Nina Baskerville - Using an interdisciplinary approach to elucidate pollution impacts and antimicrobial resistant pathogen dynamics across terrestrial, estuarine and marine environments [NERC - SuMMeR, 2023-27]

Kaila Kormblum - Factors limiting marine connectivity at a species range edge – the case of the pink sea fan, Eunicella verrucosa [NERC - SuMMeR, 2023-27]

Lauren Evans - Using prey availability metrics to explain the foraging distribution of deep-diving seabirds.  [NERC ENVISION, 2023-27]

Stephen King - Exploring factors underpinning resilience and identifying avenues for restoration of maerl beds, a priority habitat for marine conservation [NERC ENVISION, 2024-28]

Alireza Moradi - Evaluating the influence of a Pumped Storage Hydropower plant on the hydro-environmental characteristics of Loch Ness, Scotland [Glen Earrach Energy, 2025-28]

Past supervision:

Mirko Barada - Coastal flooding: using historical records to mitigate future risk. [Cemlyn Jones, 2020-24, Primary supervisor]

Nic Chopin (MPhil) – Variability in the Irish Mussel shellfishery [BIM, 2020-24, co-supervisor]

Nia Jones - Dispersal of Microplastics in the Marine Environment. [NERC ENVISION, 2020-23, co-supervisor]

Michael Ridgil - The Global Riverine Hydrokinetic energy Resource [KESS, 2019-22, co-supervisor]

Jonathan Demmer - Simulating the temporal and spatial variability of North Wales mussel populations [KESS, 2017-20, Primary supervisor]

I welcome potential Phd projects on a range of coastal oceanography topics: e.g. estuarine processes, flood risk, water quality, coastal dispersal, marine renewable energy, sediment transport and climate change. Please get in touch with your ideas...

Please visit findaphd.com for up-to-date funded phd opportunities...

2022

  • BU-IIA Funded Project: Mapping Social Inequality in Flooding

    Future flood risk is unlikely to be equal across society because flood-vulnerability (hence economic loss) is linked to socio-economic factors. To protect against flooding, insurance is used alongside state-led protection measures (e.g. sea walls, culverts, etc). Planning laws are also used to reduce exposure by restricting development in high flood risk areas (zone C available here); however, the need for housing (e.g. government pledges for 300,000 new homes per year) may constrain where sustainable developments can occur (e.g. when including community needs/services, as well as access to mortgages and insurance).

    We hypothesize exposure to the changing flood risk will not be equal across society, given changing patterns of flood risk, demographics and flood protection (e.g. access to mortgages and insurance).

    We will show how flood risk will impact social demographics and recreation demographics, demonstrating the hidden value of big data within digital environmental themes. We will establish a method to harvest publicly available data, mapping land use (e.g. recreation) and value (house prices, tourism) to monitor value, and values, communities have with the environment. We aim to establish methods to harvest online-data to map spatio-temporal changes in how we use, and value, land as climate change impacts such spaces - using outputs from our NERC future climate change driven flooding project "SEARCH" and engagement with stakeholders (e.g. reinsurance and Environment Agency).

    Funding awarded through the Bangor University Innovation and Impact Award (Research Wales Innovation Funding). Value = £9798

    1 Ebr 2022 – 31 Maw 2023

    Gweithgaredd: Arall (Cyfrannwr)

2025:

Glen Earrach Energy Ltd - PhD Studentship: Evaluating the influence of a Pumped Storage Hydropower plant on the hydro-environmental characteristics of Loch Ness, Scotland (I Woolway, P Robins; Jan 2026 – 2029; £139,866 from Glen Earrach Energy Ltd and part-funded by Bangor University).

NW-IFCA - PhD Studentship: Investigating Connectivity of Cockle Populations in The Irish Sea (P Robins, S Malham; Jan 2026 – 2029; £48k from NW-IFCA and part-funded by Bangor University).

PhD Studentship: Characterising the impacts of Offshore Wind Farms on tides, stratification and mixing (P Robins, T Rippeth, B Lincoln; May 2025 – 2029).

Dr Robert Perrin Research Awards MRes studentship: Disrupting blue carbon: Assessing the impact of bottom trawling on carbon-rich marine sediments (S Ward, P Robins; Jun 2025–July 2026; £6,250).

MRes studentship: Modelling the impact of future climate change on estuary water quality (P Robins; 2025-2026).

2024:

Defra (EA): INVEST: Identifying climate change risks to water quality across English estuaries. (P Robins, C Lyddon, D Jones, G Coxon, T Coulthard, A Barkwith, F Fung; Apr 2024 - Mar 2025. £310k).

Royal Society International Exchanges 2024 Cost Share (NSFC): Virus Vectors: Investigating the attachment of pathogens to suspended materials and their fate through the river-estuary-coastal continuum (P Robins, X Li, J Kevill, D Jones; Jan 2025 – Dec 2026; £12k).

ZSL: Hydrodynamic modelling of reservoirs (P Robins, S Garnier, Jan-Dec 2024, £15k).

Dwr Cymru Cyfyngedig (Welsh Water): Citizen Science Project: Assessing Pathogen Risk and Public Perception in the Conwy River (J Kevill, P Robins, D Jones; Oct 2024 – Sep 2025; £10k).

NERC SuMMeR PhD studentship: The socio-ecological importance of elasmobranchs to coastal communities in a changing climate (P Robins, D Curnick, S Ward, etal; Oct 2024 – 2027).

NERC Red-Alert PhD studentship: Modelling the fate of wastewater-derived human pathogenic fungi from catchment to coast (D Jones, P Robins, K Fakas; Oct 2024 – 2027).

NERC SuMMeR PhD studentship: Exploring factors underpinning resilience and identifying avenues for restoration of maerl beds, a priority habitat for marine conservation (J Stevens, P Robins et al; Oct 2024 – 2027).

MRes studentship: Hydrodynamics of Turbulent Wakes of Offshore Windfarm Monopile Foundations (Robins, Austin, Van Landeghem; 2024-2025).

2023:

Welsh Government: Welsh Marine Evidence Framework: Welsh Lobster Larval Dispersal Model (P Robins, S Ward, L Gimenez, N Hold, S Malham; 2023; £20k).

Nature Networks Fund: SIARC-2: Sharks Inspiring Action and Research with Communities (ZSL/NRW-led, P Robins, S Ward; 2023-2026; £16,500).

Augean Ltd: Investigating bank erosion rates in the Tees estuary (P Robins, M Austin; 2023; £11,628)

DEFRA FISP: The Impact of Climate Change on Whelk growth (C Colvin, N Hold, P Robins, I McCarthey, S Malham; 2023-2025; £368k).

NERC ENVISION PhD studentship: What’s for dinner? Dynamic ocean conditions determine prey availability with consequences for Manx shearwater chick growth (Cordes, Ellison, P Robins, et al; Oct 2023 – 2026).

MRes studentship: Investigating the relationship between tidal lagoon impoundment size and hydro-environmental impacts (Robins, Austin; 2023-2024).

2022:

HORIZON-HLTH-2021-ENVHLTH-02: BlueAdapt: Reducing climate based health risks in blue environments: Adapting to the climate change impacts on coastal pathogens (D Jones, D Chadwick, S Malham, P Robins; 2022-2026; €1M).

Cefas PATH-AI-FUTURE: Development of pre-emptive data-driven tools to predict the risk posed by Norovirus and AMR in coastal waters and entry into the food chain (D Jones, P Robins, K Farkas, D Chadwick, S Malham, R Williams;  Sept 2022-2024; £372,393).

NERC Standard Grant: SHEAR: The impact of the physical environment on the foraging energetics of shearwaters and the consequences for breeding success (Cordes L, Bishop C, Robins P, Waggit J, & Fernandes P.; Mar 2022 – 2025; £780k).

Menter Mon (via WEFO in association with Welsh Government): Investigating seal movements in the Irish Sea (Cordes, Robins, 2022-2023; £40k).

Bangor University Impact and Innovation Award: Mapping social inequality in flooding: Will future flooding predominantly happen in recreation areas and rich neighbourhoods? (P Robins, M Lewis, S Neill; 2022; £10k).

NERC ENVISION PhD studentship: The influence of groundwater to future flood risk (P Robins, A Barkwith; Oct 2020 – 2026).

NERC SuMMeR PhD studentship: Factors limiting marine connectivity at a species range edge – the case of the pink sea fan, Eunicella verrucosa (J Stevens, P Robins; Oct 2022 – 2026).

NERC SuMMeR PhD studentship: Using an interdisciplinary approach to elucidate pollution impacts and antimicrobial resistant pathogen dynamics across terrestrial, estuarine and marine environments (W Gaze, P Robins, S Malham, D Jones, etal; Oct 2022 – 2026).

2021:

Nature Networks Fund: SIARC: Sharks Inspiring Action and Research with Communities (Led by ZSL, P Robins P, S Ward; Oct 2021 – 2023; £18,617 to Bangor).

Zoological Society London: Modelling potential Angelshark distributions using eDNA sampling (ZSL, Robins P, Ward S; £6,259).

British Council: Addressing Marine Plastic Waste as a Climate Change Adaptation Priority in Indonesia (P Robins, Smith T, Sugardjito J, Spear M; 2021-2022; £49,680).

Bangor-GCRF Award internal fund: A relocatable method to resolve and mitigate marine plastic waste (Robins, Hiddink, Neill, Skov, Lewis, Spear; 2021; £39,500).

NERC-ENVISION PhD studentship: What drives cold pulses at remote tropical reefs? (Robins P, Green M, Williams G, Schindelegger M; Oct 2021 – 2025).

NERC-ENVISION PhD studentship: Understanding responses of coastal seabirds to local and daily-scale meteorological variation. (Waggitt J, Cordes L, Robins P; Oct 2021 – 2025).

Mersey Gateway PhD studentship: There and back again: monitoring the returning fish to the Mersey estuary (McDevitt, Coscia, Robins et al; Oct 2021 – 2025).

2020:

NERC UK Climate Resilience Programme: SEARCH: Sensitivity of Estuaries to Climate Hazards (Robins P, Lewis M et al.; Aug 2020 – 2022; £200k)

NERC – SE Asia Plastics: South East Asia MArine Plastics (SEAmap): Reduction, Control and Mitigation of Marine Plastic Pollution in the Philippines (Neill S, Hiddink J, Robins P, Lewis M, Skov M, Dunn C, Taboada E; Oct 2020 – 2025; £708,034).

Bangor-GCRF: Viral dark matter: The emergence and distribution of human and animal viruses in Nigerian waters – Part B. (Farkas K, Robins P; July 2020 – 2021; £33,718).

UKRI: NWESP: National COVID-19 Wastewater Epidemiology Surveillance Programme (Singer A, Jones D, Farkas K, Robins P, Golyshin P, et al.; Jun 2020 – 2021; £90,114).

NERC-ENVISION PhD studentship: Pathways to Realistic Impact Modelling in Estuarine Areas (Robins P, Neill S, Lewis M et al.; Oct 2020 – 2024).

KESS2/Dwr Cymru Welsh Water PhD studentship: Predicting future compound hazards of coastal flooding (Robins P, Malham S, Jones D, Lewis M; Apr 2020 – 2024).

PhD studentship: Historic Shipwrecks and the Impacts of Climate Change (Van Landeghem K, Robins P; 2020 – 2024).

KESS2/Sefton Council PhD studentship: Coastal morphology of Liverpool Bay (Austin M, Van Landeghem K, Robins P.; Oct. 2020 – 2023).

2019:

NERC Highlight Topic: Microbial hitch-hikers of marine plastics: The survival, persistence & ecology of microbial communities in the Plastisphere. (P Golyshin, D. Jones, D. Thomas, P. Robins, B. Paizs; Feb 2019 – 2024; £479k).

Joint Seafish, EMFF, Food Standards Agency funding: DASSHH: Developing an assurance scheme for shellfish and human health, Phase 1.  (Malham, LeVay, Robins, et al.; Nov 2018 – 2021;  £42,904).

European Regional Development Fund: Shellfish Centre (Le Vay, Malham, Robins, King, D. Jones, J McDonald, McCarthy; 2018-2021; £3.9M).

European Maritime & Fisheries Fund: Menai Offshore Subsurface Shellfish Systems (Le Vay, Malham, Robins, King; 2018-2021; £750k).

SEAFISH, Food Standards Agency, EMFF: SEAFISH: Developing an assurance scheme for shellfish and human health (Malham, Le Vay, Robins, D. Jones, J McDonald, L Jones, Cooper; 2019-2020; £419k).

NERC ENVISION DTP PhD studentship: Dispersal of microplastics in the marine environment (S Neill, P Robins, M Lewis; Oct 2019 – 2024).

Bangor-Cemlyn Jones PhD studentship: Coastal flooding: Using historical records to mitigate future risk (Robins P, Skov M, Lewis M; Nov 2019 – 2024).

KESS2 PhD studentship: The global riverine hydrokinetic resource (Neill, Robins, Lewis; Apr 2019 – 2022).

European Social Funds KESS2 MSc studentship: Wind-driven sea surface currents (Neill S, Robins P, Lewis M; Oct 2019 - 2020; £15k).

2018:

NERC-ERIIP: CHEST: Combination Hazard of Extreme rainfall, storm Surge & high Tide on estuarine infrastructure (Coulthard, Robins, Lewis; 2018 – 2019; £40k).

NERC-EMHH: VIRAQUA: Human pathogenic viruses in the freshwater-marine continuum (D Jones, S Malham, P Robins, et al.; 2028 – 2020; £479k).

MPhil studentship: Dynamics of the Recruitment of Subtidal Seed Mussels on the Southeast coast of Ireland (Malham, Robins; 2018 – 2023).

KESS2 MRes studentship: The global riverine energy resource. (Neill, Lewis, Robins; 2018 – 2019; £17,974).

KESS2 MRes studentship: Remote Sensing of renewable energy resource. (Lewis, Neill, Robins; 2018 – 2019; £17,974).

2017:

Interreg Atlantic Area Programme: COCKLES: Boosting Co-operation and integration of Capacities for applying Knowledge and mutual Learning in Restoring Cockle Shellfisheries and its related Ecosystem-Services in the Atlantic Area. (Shelagh Malham, Peter Robins, Luis Gimenez, et al;  Oct 2017 – 2020; £347k). 

INTERREG Ireland-Wales Programme: ECOSTRUCTURE: climate change adaptation through ecologically sensitive coastal infrastructure. (Jenkins SR, Davies AD, Neill SP, Robins PE; Jun 2017- 2020; £774k part of £3.5 million multi-partner grant).

INTERREG Ireland -Wales Programme: Irish Sea Portal Pilot (ISPP)  (Shelagh Malham, Peter Robins, Lewis LeVay et al; Jan 2017 – 2018;m £620k part of 1.4 m euros with BIM in Ireland).

INTERREG Ireland-Wales Programme: Bluefish (Building Resilience into Blue Growth in the Irish and Celtic Seas Fisheries and Aquaculture (Shelagh Malham, Peter Robins, Lewis LeVay, Mike Kaiser et al; Jan 2017 – 2020; £1,4m part of 6.6m euros multipartner).

Food Standards Agency: Desk based study: Active Management of Shellfisheries.  (Shelagh Malham, Peter Robins, Lewis LeVay et al; Jan 2017 – 2017; £28k).  

NRN-LCEE RDF: Future of Estuaries workshop. (Lewis, Robins; 2017; £4,500).

2016:

NRN-LCEE: Research Development Fund: Grant proposal development award. (Robins P, Lewis M, Neill S; 2016; £5k).

NRN-LCEE: Research Development Fund: Grant proposal development award. (Lewis M, Robins P, Neill S; 2016; £5k).

NRN-LCEE: Research Development Fund: Tidal Lagoon Workshop. (Neill S, Lewis M, Robins P; 2016; £10k).

2015:

European Social Funds KESS2 PhD studentship: Simulating variability of North Wales mussel populations. (Neill S, Robins P, Malham S; 2015 – 2018; £53k).

2014:

HPC/Fijutsi PhD studentship: Development of an integrated catchment-to-coast modelling. (Hashemi, Neill, Robins; 2014 – 2017).