About
Professor Robyn Watts holds a position as Professor of Environmental Sciences at Charles Sturt University (CSU), affiliated with the School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences. She has over 25 years of experience in teaching and research focused on aquatic ecosystem ecology, environmental flows, and adaptive water management. Her work emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration with ecologists, hydrologists, and First Nations communities to improve river health in the Murray-Darling Basin.
Education: BSc (Hons) and PhD from the University of Western Australia (1986 and 1992 respectively). Professional roles include membership on environmental water advisory groups (e.g., Murray Lower Darling EWAG) and editorial roles for journals like Environmental Management and River Research and Applications.
Research interests span flow-ecology relationships, dam operations, and community-based river restoration. She has led >$13M in grants (ARC, MDBA, and state agencies) and published over 150 peer-reviewed works. Awards include the 2015 CSU Vice-Chancellor’s Team Research Excellence Award and 2021 Faculty Research Prize.
Teaching specialties: Freshwater ecology, river hydrology, and restoration practices. Supervised 20 PhD and 15 Honours students. Active in policy advisory roles and community outreach via newsletters and forums.
Labs/Teams: Core member of the Gulbali Research Institute and Institute for Land, Water and Society. Coordinates the Edward/Kolety-Wakool Flow-MER Program.
