Samuel Roberson’s Biography
- 2013 to present: Quaternary geologist, British Geological Survey
- 2009 to 2012: Research Fellow, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
- 2006 to 2010: PhD, Glaciology, Aberystwyth University
- 2005 to 2006: MSc Glaciology, University of Wales, Aberystwyth
- 2002 to 2005: BA Geography, University of Nottingham
Research interests
- Tweed Mapping Project — Mapping superficial deposits in the Tweed catchment using machine learning (National Geoscience NC project)
- Rock@Surface (2018 to 2024) – Mapping upland superficial deposit coverage using machine learning (innovation project) (NGM funded – Digital collaboration).
- Superficial deposit modelling (2022 to 2023) – Modelling superficial deposit coverage using machine learning (IFF funded project).
- Quaternary geological mapping (2013 to 2024) – Mapping of Quaternary geology of Northern Ireland at 1:10,000 scale (funded by Geological Survey of Northern Ireland).
- TopDown (2022 to present) – Collaboration with Sam Kelley (University College, Dublin) to determine post-Last Glacial Maximum thinning rates of Irish Ice Sheet in the Mourne Mountains, Northern Ireland (Geological Survey Ireland Short Call funded).
- Semi-automated Map Generalisation (2020 to present) – Collaboration between geologists, cartographers and data scientists to streamline generalisation of superficial data from 1:25 000 scale to 1:50 000 scale (NGM funded)
ORCID:
Books
- Roberson, S, Barr, I, and Cooper, C. 2016. The Quaternary Glaciation of the Mourne Mountains: Field Guide. Quaternary Research Association, UK.
Key papers
- Lee, J R, and Roberson, S. 2025. Refining the known extent of major onshore Quaternary glaciation in the UK — types of evidence, nomenclature and uncertainty. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association, 136 (3), 101087
- Williams, C, Whitbread, K, Hall, A, Roberson, S, Finlayson, A, Palamakumbura, R N, Hulbert, A, and Paice, M. 2025. Capturing exposed bedrock in the upland regions of Great Britain: A geomorphometric focused random forest approach. Computers and Geosciences, 196, p.105814.
- Roberson, S. 2022. Superficial Geology Coastal Mapping Pilot Study. British Geological Survey Commissioned Report, British Geological Survey, Nottingham, UK.
- Roberson, S. 2016. Sand and Gravel Resource Survey of NW Lough Neagh, British Geological Survey Commissioned Report, British Geological Survey, Nottingham, UK.
- Roberson, S, and Weltje, G J. 2014. Inter instrument comparison of particle-size analysers, Sedimentology.
- Merritt, J W, Roberson, S, and Cooper, M R. 2018. A critical review and re-investigation of the Pleistocene deposits between Cranfield Point and Kilkeel, Northern Ireland: Implications for regional sea-level models and glacial reconstructions of the northern Irish Sea basin. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association, 129(5), pp.583–609.
- Weltje, G J, and Roberson S. 2012. Numerical methods for integrating particle-size frequency distributions. Computers & Geoscience, 44: 156–167.
- Krabbendam, M, Fioguardi, F, Arnhardt, C, and Roberson, S, Hall, A. 2023. . Journal of Glaciology, 69: 103–119.
- Stoker, BJ, Livingston, SJ, Barr, I, Ruffell, A, Storrar, RD, and Roberson S. 2021. . Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association, 132: 409–425.
- Roberson, S, and Hubbard, B. 2010. Application of borehole optical televiewing to investigating the 3-D structure of glaciers: implications for the formation of longitudinal debris ridges, midre Lovénbreen, Svalbard, Journal of Glaciology, 56: 143–156.
Maps
- Roberson, S, Cooper, M and Donald, A. Engineering Geology Map of Belfast and Surrounding District. Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, Belfast.
- Roberson, S and Hughes, L. 2023. Superficial Geology Map of Newry: Sheets 60\71\72, 1:50 000 scale. Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, Belfast.
- Roberson, S, and Hughes, L. 2019. Superficial Geology Map of Keady: Sheets 59/70, 1:50 000 scale. Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, Belfast.
- Roberson, S, and Pellicer, X. 2017. Quaternary Geological Map of Ireland, 1:500,000 scale. Geological Survey Ireland, Dublin.
Chapters
- Roberson, S. 2019. Francis Synge (1923–1983), In Giants of the Irish Quaternary, Dalton, C. and McGlynn, G. (Eds). Irish Quaternary Association, Dublin, p.116.
Google Scholar:
- Field-based mapping and data collection
- Geophysics (Ground Penetrating Radar, Terrestrial Laser Scanning, passive seismic)
- Geospatial analysis (ArcGIS Pro, QGISm GDAL)
- Scientific programming (Python, Matlab, Fortran, R)
- Geological modelling (GroundHog, GOCAD, Isatis)
- Desktop publishing (LaTeX, Pages, MS Office)
- Illustration (Adobe Illustrator, Affinity Designer)
Awards and associations
- Publication Secretary for the Quaternary Research Association