Biography
Martyn Roberts is a hydrologist and environmental researcher whose work centres on nature-based solutions for managing water in catchments. He joined the James Hutton Institute following a PhD in Geosciences at the University of Aberdeen, where he investigated the flood mitigation potential of temporary storage areas in headwater catchments.
His expertise includes hydrological modelling, GIS, R programming, soil and water monitoring, and interdisciplinary fieldwork. Martyn is particularly interested in how data, stakeholder input, and nature-based solutions can be combined to optimise land management for environmental resilience.
Research
Martyn’s current research supports sustainable catchment management in the Strule catchment, Northern Ireland, through the PEACEPLUS programme. He uses spatial analysis and data-driven hydrological models to assess phosphorus and nitrate transport and evaluate the performance of nature-based solutions in reducing diffuse pollution and improving water quality.
A key focus is identifying the right measures in the right places by developing Farm Integrated Runoff Management Plans and building an evidence base for scaling up effective approaches. Martyn works closely with The Rivers Trust and local stakeholders to ensure solutions are practical, targeted, and grounded in environmental data. He also leads data collation and visualisation to translate complex evidence into accessible guidance for land managers.
Past research
Martyn’s PhD research explored the effectiveness of temporary storage areas (TSAs) as nature-based solutions for flood management. He developed open-source R tools and used GIS, extensive field monitoring, and hydrological modelling to analyse the timing and spatial function of TSAs across multiple catchments.
Prior to his PhD, Martyn gained experience in environmental consultancy, contributing to ecological impact assessments and sustainability reviews.
Publications
Journals
- Roberts, M.; Wilkinson, M.; Hallett, P.; Geris, J. (2024) New data-based analysis tool for functioning of natural flood management measures reveals multi-site time-variable effectiveness, Journal of Hydrology, 635, Art. 131164
- Roberts, M.; Geris, J.; Hallett, P.; Wilkinson, M.E. (2023) Mitigating floods and attenuating surface runoff with temporary storage areas in headwaters, WIRES Water, 2023, Art. E1634
