Field Research Scientist Linda Robb has always loved working outdoors, but likes it mixed in with a bit of analysis. She found a perfect combination in this role.
Growing up on a hill country farm in Scotland, I always wanted to be a farmer or have a career that involved working outside.
As a farming family, our environmental footprint was minimal. We had to look after the land and water to keep us and our farm healthy, as we had our own water supply and stock water came from a river running through the farm.
As a result, I’ve always been passionate about working in outdoor environments and find hands-on work fulfilling.
I originally studied physics at Glasgow University and then went travelling and settled in New Zealand, where I met my partner.
After being at home with my children for 10 years it was time to get back into the workforce. I decided to study freshwater management in the hope I would have a career with the right balance of experimentation and analysis. My first groundwater lecture was significantly maths-based, and I felt I’d found my place and this was what I wanted to pursue.
In 2018 I returned to university to complete my Masters in Water Resource Management, a degree offered jointly by Lincoln University and the University of Canterbury.
I focused on groundwater, and my thesis formed part of Lincoln Agritech’s research programme Subsurface flows in Braided Rivers, funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment. My research looked at using radon-222 as an environmental tracer in groundwater-surface water interaction.
Once I finished my master’s degree in 2021, there was more research on radon to be carried out and I was employed to continue this and other work at Lincoln Agritech.
What does your job involve?
My job combines field-based scientific work with desk-based analytical tasks, creating a balanced and engaging approach that I find rewarding.
I’m involved in the Plantain Potency and Practice programme, which is led by DairyNZ. It’s researching the use of plantain to help farmers significantly reduce nitrogen losses to freshwater and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The work centres on environmental management and looks to understand the benefits of plantain at farm scale, with a focus on mitigating nitrogen loss to protect our freshwater river and groundwater systems.
I lead the field research components of the programme, collecting and analysing the data, and preparing it for scientific journals, conferences and client reports. I also oversee the work of staff in the field.
What do you enjoy about it?
I enjoy solving problems. I’m motivated by projects that allow me to make a meaningful impact and roles that enable me to be actively engaged with the environment.
Through my environmental research we are contributing solutions to today’s environmental problems and preserving the environment for future generations.
What is the best thing that’s ever happened to you?
Having my three children (most of the time!). It’s great watching them grow up and become interested in what you do and why you do it and they realise that your research is helping to look after the environment.
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
I wish people would look after the environment and one another more, instead of focusing on themselves. Then we would leave the planet in a healthy state for future generations instead of depleting its resources.
I believe that success should be measured by how we care for one and other and the environment not by material wealth or possessions.
