Education
Ph.D. in Oceanography, Concentration in Marine Geology and Geophysics, University of Washington
M.S. in Oceanography, Concentration in Marine Geology and Geophysics, University of Washington
B.S. in Geology, College of Charleston

Teaching and Research Interests / Recent Publications or Scholarly Output
Robin McLachlan is a broadly-trained geologist interested in how the shapes of coastal environments are intimately linked to human development, and vice versa. Specifically, she studies sediment transport from source to sink, mountains to deep sea, focusing on the interaction between sediment and hydrodynamics in the fluvial-marine transition zone. She applies the same scientific rigor and inquiry to her role as an educator and communicator. Her teaching strategies constructively align scientific content with high-impact practices – notably undergraduate research and service-learning – to best achieve student learning goals and career success.

Recent fellowships include the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership (2023) and Governor’s Teaching Fellows (2025).

Recent publications include “Actionable Science for Small Island Communities: Wind Velocity and Sea‐Level Rise Enhance Tidal Flooding on Little Cumberland Island, Georgia”, published in AGU Community Science (Bertram et al., 2025).