DoctorEllen Robson

My research focuses on improving the resilience of road networks in hilly/mountainous regions to landslides and slope instability by developing user-focused guidance and methodologies. The guidance and methodologies are developed collaboratively with stakeholders (academics, policy-makers, consultants, contractors, and road users) currently engaged in Aotearoa New Zealand, Fiji, Nepal and India, employing a combination of methods, including numerical analyses, geotechnical and geological mapping, and qualitative data collection.  

Current projects:

• Collaborating with the Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Nepal, to develop road-cut design policy guidelines for local engineers in Nepal to use when designing cut slopes. This project is supported by the Nepal Geotechnical Society, Mott MacDonald, and the Department of Local Infrastructure and funded by the EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account.
• Collaborating with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mandi and Durham University to develop an online Primer on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (PoDRI), funded by the Coalition of Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. Designed to be globally accessible and relevant to a wide range of infrastructure stakeholders, including students, faculty, policymakers, financiers, engineers, and disaster risk reduction professionals, PoDRI will equip participants with both foundational and applied knowledge on disaster-resilient infrastructure in the face of natural hazards.
• Collaborating with IIT Mandi to document the damages caused by rainfall-triggered landslides that have occurred in the Indian Himalayas over monsoon seasons since 2023, and to improve the resilience of the road network in this region.