Lucinda Robinson
Lucinda graduated in 1998 from Wye College University of London with a BSc (Hons) in Plant Sciences and has since worked in several commercial settings including novel fungicide testing (broadleaf crops), plant pathology field trials (cereals), and high throughput microsatellite selection of new wheat varieties.
Lucinda joined the Institute in 2007 as a research assistant in the Molecular Microbiology lab, initially working in the Soils group preparing and analysing soil DNA for the National Soils Inventory of Scotland (NSIS), and then moving to the Ecological Sciences department in 2015.
Lucinda’s work predominantly covers semi-quantitative and qualitative assessment of the soil microbiome, utilising a variety of techniques such as real-time quantitative PCR and next generation sequencing (NGS) for metagenomic analysis. Other techniques used include multiplex terminal restriction fragment polymorphism analysis (m-TRFLP), phospholipid fatty acid extract analysis (PLFA), and MicroResp™ (substrate-induced microbial respiration).
Lucinda also assists with sales and technical support for the MicroResp™ kit. More details about the kit can be found on the MicroResp™ website: www.microresp.com
Current research interests
- Oceanic-Alpine biodiversity; Soil microbiome analysis of fungi, bacteria, and eukaryotes inhabiting Scotland’s Munros.
- Flows of Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and pathogens through environment to food chain.
- Drivers of Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP) transmission from the environment to livestock.
- Developing a method of genotyping Scotland’s Mountain hare population.
- Freshwater quality monitoring using eDNA analysis.
Past research
- Preparation of the National Soils Inventory of Scotland DNA archive.
- Development of molecular techniques for soil forensic analysis.
- Development of a molecular test for detecting meat fraud.
- SARS-CoV-19 detection in the environment.
Bibliography
- Taylor, A.F.S.; Freitag, T.; Robinson, L.; White, D.; Hedley, P.; Britton, A.J. (2022) Nitrogen deposition and temperature structure fungal communities associated with alpine moss-sedge heath in the UK, Fungal Ecology, 60, Art. 101191
- Taylor, Andy F. S.; Freitag, T.; Robinson, Lucinda J.; White, Duncan (2021) Advances in measuring soil health, Book chapter entitled "Characterisation of fungal communities and functions in agricultural soils"
- Powell, J.; Karunaratne, S.; Campbell, C.D.; Yao, H.Y.; Robinson, L.; Singh, B.K. (2015) Deterministic processes vary during community assembly for ecologically dissimilar taxa., Nature Communications, 6, Article No. 8444.
- Nazaries, L.; Tottey, W.; Robinson, L.J.; Khachane, A.; Al-Soud, W.A.; Sorensen, S.; Singh, B.K. (2015) Shifts in the microbial community structure explain the response of soil respiration to land-use but not to climate warming., Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 89, 123-134.
- Macdonald, C.A.; Crawley, M.J.; Wright, D.J.; Kuczynski, J.; Robinson, L.; Knight, R.; Al-Soud, W.A.; Sorensen, S.J.; Deng, Y.; Zhou, J.; Singh, B.K. (2015) Identifying qualitative effects of different grazing types on below-ground communities and function in a long-term field experiment., Environmental Microbiology, 17, 841-854.
- Robertson, A.H.J.; Main, A.M.; Robinson, L.J.; Dawson, L.A. (2015) In situ FTIR analysis of soils for forensic applications., FT-IR Technology for Today's Spectroscopists, August 2015.
- Robertson, A.H.J.; Main, A.M.; Robinson, L.J.; Dawson, L.A. (2015) In situ FTIR analysis of forensic soil samples at a mock crime scene., Proceedings of the 4th Global Workshop on Proximal Soil Sensing in Hangzhou, China, 12-15 May 2015.
- Dawson, L.A.; Freitag, T.; Ross, J.; Robinson, L.; Miller, D.R.; Pasternak, Z.; Habtom, H.J.C.; Robe, P.; Kahns, L.; Simonet, P.; Demaneche, S.; Gafny, R.; Cordero, J.C.; Jurkevitch, E. (2014) The development and validation of microbial soil Community analyses for forensic purposes (MiSAFE)., Forensics Geosciences Group, London, 2-4 December 2014. Proceedings.
- Dawson, L.A.; Miller, D.R.; Freitag, T.; Brewer, M.; Robinson, L.; Ross, J. (2014) MiSAFE project mid term review report., Mid-Term Report to the EU Review Panel for the MiSAFE Project. Uploaded to the EU website.
- Miller, D.R.; Dawson, L.A.; Morrice, J.; Ross, J.; Freitag, T.; Robinson, L. (2013) Knowledge exchange and dissemination strategy., Deliverable D7.1 (Knowledge Exchange Strategy), EU MiSAFE Project.
- Macdonald, C.A.; Thomas, N.; Robinson, L.; Tate, K.R.; Ross, D.J.; Dando, J.; Singh, B.K. (2009) Physiological, biochemical and molecular responses of soil microbial community after afforestation of pastures with Pinus radiata., Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 41, 1642-1651.
- Taylor, A.F.S.; Freitag, T.; Robinson, L.; White, D.; Hedley, P.; Britton, A.J. (2022) Nitrogen deposition and temperature structure fungal communities associated with alpine moss-sedge heath in the UK, Fungal Ecology, 60, Art. 101191
- Powell, J.; Karunaratne, S.; Campbell, C.D.; Yao, H.Y.; Robinson, L.; Singh, B.K. (2015) Deterministic processes vary during community assembly for ecologically dissimilar taxa., Nature Communications, 6, Article No. 8444.
- Nazaries, L.; Tottey, W.; Robinson, L.J.; Khachane, A.; Al-Soud, W.A.; Sorensen, S.; Singh, B.K. (2015) Shifts in the microbial community structure explain the response of soil respiration to land-use but not to climate warming., Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 89, 123-134.
- Macdonald, C.A.; Crawley, M.J.; Wright, D.J.; Kuczynski, J.; Robinson, L.; Knight, R.; Al-Soud, W.A.; Sorensen, S.J.; Deng, Y.; Zhou, J.; Singh, B.K. (2015) Identifying qualitative effects of different grazing types on below-ground communities and function in a long-term field experiment., Environmental Microbiology, 17, 841-854.
- Robertson, A.H.J.; Main, A.M.; Robinson, L.J.; Dawson, L.A. (2015) In situ FTIR analysis of soils for forensic applications., FT-IR Technology for Today's Spectroscopists, August 2015.
- Macdonald, C.A.; Thomas, N.; Robinson, L.; Tate, K.R.; Ross, D.J.; Dando, J.; Singh, B.K. (2009) Physiological, biochemical and molecular responses of soil microbial community after afforestation of pastures with Pinus radiata., Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 41, 1642-1651.
- Robertson, A.H.J.; Main, A.M.; Robinson, L.J.; Dawson, L.A. (2015) In situ FTIR analysis of soils for forensic applications., FT-IR Technology for Today's Spectroscopists, August 2015.
- Taylor, Andy F. S.; Freitag, T.; Robinson, Lucinda J.; White, Duncan (2021) Advances in measuring soil health, Book chapter entitled "Characterisation of fungal communities and functions in agricultural soils"
- Dawson, L.A.; Miller, D.R.; Freitag, T.; Brewer, M.; Robinson, L.; Ross, J. (2014) MiSAFE project mid term review report., Mid-Term Report to the EU Review Panel for the MiSAFE Project. Uploaded to the EU website.
- Miller, D.R.; Dawson, L.A.; Morrice, J.; Ross, J.; Freitag, T.; Robinson, L. (2013) Knowledge exchange and dissemination strategy., Deliverable D7.1 (Knowledge Exchange Strategy), EU MiSAFE Project.
- Robertson, A.H.J.; Main, A.M.; Robinson, L.J.; Dawson, L.A. (2015) In situ FTIR analysis of forensic soil samples at a mock crime scene., Proceedings of the 4th Global Workshop on Proximal Soil Sensing in Hangzhou, China, 12-15 May 2015.
- Dawson, L.A.; Freitag, T.; Ross, J.; Robinson, L.; Miller, D.R.; Pasternak, Z.; Habtom, H.J.C.; Robe, P.; Kahns, L.; Simonet, P.; Demaneche, S.; Gafny, R.; Cordero, J.C.; Jurkevitch, E. (2014) The development and validation of microbial soil Community analyses for forensic purposes (MiSAFE)., Forensics Geosciences Group, London, 2-4 December 2014. Proceedings.
