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Dr Peter Robbins

Peter Robbins

Profile summary

  • Central Academic Staff
  • Reader, Sociology of Science, Technology & Development
  • Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences
  • School of Social Sciences & Global Studies
  • Development
  • peter.robbins

Professional biography

Peter Robbins obtained a BS in psychology from Guilford College (USA), followed by an MSc and PhD in sociology from the London School of Economics. After having taught sociology at the University of Reading, and in the Institute of Water & Environment at Cranfield University, Peter joined Development Policy and Practice (DPP) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Centre for Social and Economic Research on Innovation in Genomics (INNOGEN) in October 2004.

He is currently leading the Open University Development Studies Research Excellence Framework (REF) submission.

Research interests

Peter’s research interests span three areas. The first concerns transnational corporations’ (TNCs) responses to environmental challenges. In particular he focuses on corporate cultures (traditional and social-environmental), green management styles, environmental regulatory systems (North America, Europe and Asia compared), and social auditing. They are explored in his book Greening the Corporation (London, Earthscan, 2001). Related to, and building on this work, Peter’s second area of interest is in science and technology studies. He has completed three ESRC funded projects. The first (R000223725), from 2001 to 2002, examined the discursive strategies of genetic modification (GM) scientists and the extent to which these convinced or antagonized non-experts. The second (RES000220132), between 2003 and 2004, investigated the GM National Debate, exploring attitudes of publics to GM decision making, especially in relation to the democratization of science and technology. The third (RES-000221626) in 2005 and 2006 investigated the discourse of organic food promotion. Peter’s third area of interest concerns notions of reflexive engineering and development especially in relation to water and sanitation. This is the subject of a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) grant investigating watershed ecosystems services in Andean and Amazonian Catchments, beginning in late 2010.

Peter has worked in 25 countries across 5 continents, North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. These include Brazil, China, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Hungary, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Namibia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Tanzania, Turks and Caicos Islands, the United Kingdom, United States and Zimbabwe. He has also supervised PhD research on (former Soviet) Georgia, Ghana, India, Iran, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal and Uganda.

Teaching interests

Peter is course team chair of TU874, the development management project, and has also been course team chair of U213, and has been involved in re-writes of both courses. He has been Lead Examiner for Sociology of Development at the University of London External Programme, London School of Economics, since 2000, for which he produced a course guide (University of London Press, 2001). He is external examiner of the University of Birmingham distance MSc in Poverty Reduction and Development Management. He currently supervises four PhD students on topics related to the discourse and politics of the life sciences.