Hugh Robinson

Professor Hugh Robinson is Professor in Cellular Electrophysiology in the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge. A Fellow of the University, he has held continuous academic appointments at Cambridge since 1993, following post-doctoral training in Japan and doctoral studies with Prof. Denis Haydon in the Physiological Laboratory, Cambridge.

Education

• MA Natural Sciences, Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge (1982)
• PhD Physiology, University of Cambridge (1988) – single potassium channel gating in neurons

Research Interests

Professor Robinson’s work bridges classical electrophysiology and contemporary cancer biology. Early in his career he focused on central synaptic mechanisms, parallel processing in cortex, and neural network dynamics. Over the last decade his laboratory has pioneered the emerging discipline of Cancer Neuroscience, dissecting how cancer cells co-opt neuronal signalling mechanisms—electrical excitability, calcium transients, NMDA-receptor signalling—to drive invasion, metastasis and colonisation of the brain.

Current themes include:

• Electrical excitability of small-cell lung cancer and neuroendocrine tumour cells
• Role of ion-channel expression in tumour progression and metastatic niche formation
• Calcium nanodomain imaging in aggressive cancer phenotypes using advanced light-field microscopy
• Crosstalk between tumour cells and host neuronal circuits in brain metastasis

Publication Profile

Across more than 60 peer-reviewed papers, Professor Robinson’s recent work (2015-2025) is characterised by a clear translational trajectory: from fundamental single-channel biophysics and computational modelling of cortical networks to the application of these insights in oncology. A striking clustering of 2024-2025 outputs centres on small-cell lung cancer electrophysiology, 3-D calcium imaging in neuroendocrine tumours, and Down-syndrome neuronal network phenotypes, signalling an expanding focus on human disease models derived from iPSCs and patient material.

Awards & Fellowships

• Wellcome Vision Research Fellowship (1993-1995)
• University Lecturer, University of Cambridge (1995-)
• Fellow, University of Cambridge (current)

Supervision & Training

Professor Robinson supervises postgraduate researchers and post-doctoral scientists within the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience. He contributes to the University’s MPhil and PhD programmes in Neuroscience and Cancer Biology and delivers undergraduate teaching in cellular physiology and neurophysiology.

Laboratory & Core Facilities

The Robinson laboratory is equipped for patch-clamp electrophysiology, dynamic-clamp, multi-electrode array recordings, advanced fluorescence imaging (including light-field microscopy), and computational modelling. The group is embedded within the wider Cambridge Neuroscience and Cancer Research networks, fostering collaborations across the School of Biological Sciences and the Cambridge Cancer Centre.