Sam Robson

Sam Robson is a Professor of Genomics and Bioinformatics at the University of Portsmouth, serving as Bioinformatics Lead at the Centre for Enzyme Innovation (CEI). His primary affiliation is the School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences within the Faculty of Science and Health. His research focuses on high-throughput sequencing data analysis, enzymatic solutions for environmental challenges (e.g., plastic degradation), and genomic surveillance of infectious diseases like SARS-CoV-2 through the COG-UK Consortium.

Education:

• Bachelor's in Mathematics (University of Warwick, 2003)
• MSc in Interdisciplinary Science (2004)
• PhD in Mathematical Biology and Biophysical Chemistry (Warwick, 2009)

Research Interests:

Dr. Robson’s work spans genomic analysis, bioinformatics tool development, and collaborations on projects involving next-generation sequencing (Illumina/Nanopore). Key areas include enzymatic solutions for environmental sustainability, epigenetic studies using ChIP-seq/RNA-seq, and microbial diversity analysis. His contributions to COG-UK revolutionized genomic surveillance during the pandemic.

Articles Overview:

Recent work includes studies on adaptive sampling via nanopore sequencing, SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics, and biomaterials inspired by nature. His research bridges computational methods with biological applications, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration.

Grants & Advising:

Lead the south coast sequencing hub for COG-UK, coordinating genomic analyses in hospitals. Supervised six PhD/MSc theses (names not listed). Active in grant-funded projects on biofilm diversity, gribble biofuel potential, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Labs & Teams:

Leads the CEI bioinformatics team and collaborates with the Institute of Life Sciences and Healthcare. His lab develops custom pipelines for genome assembly, RNA-seq, and epigenomic analyses.