Dr. Robert Atkinson, Professor
Director of the Center for Wetland Conservation 

Ph.D. Virginia Tech
B.S., M.S. James Madison University

Curriculum Vitae

Office: Mary Forbes Hall, 2040-D
Phone: 757.594.7619
Email: atkinson@cnu.edu

Teaching Areas

  • Ecology
  • Wetlands
  • Environmental Restoration

Research Interests
Structural and functional characteristics of created and restored wetlands. Current focus involves the use of tree rings and climate data to manage and restore Atlantic White Cedar swamps, typically in the Great Dismal Swamp and other regional National Wildlife Refuges.

Student Projects

  • Brown, D.A. - Analysis and Restoration of Atlantic White Cedar ecosystems in southeastern Virginia
  • Belcher, Bob - Structural and ecophysiological responses of Atlantic White Cedar across a range of shade intensities
  • DeBerry, Jeff - A comparison of aboveground structure in four Atlantic White Cedar swamps
  • Duttry, Pat - Oxidation and accretion of peat underlying the Atlantic White Cedar swamps of VA and NC
  • Harrison, Jolie - Effects of water table on the survival and growth in two young, planted Atlantic White Cedar sites and a review of non-tidal wetland compensation sites in VA
  • Hester, William - Bird composition and species richness in Atlantic white cedar swamps and hardwood/pine habitats
  • Loomis, Darren - Flora and fauna of Atlantic white cedar swamps in southeastern VA and northeastern NC
  • Merry, Shana - Tree rings
  • Shacochis, Kristen - Evaluation of vegetation community structure in Atlantic White Cedar restoration sites
  • Thompson, Greg - Assessment of soil biochemistry in Mid-Atlantic regional Atlantic White Cedar swamps
 Dr. Robert Atkinson
Rob Atkinson came to the department in 1995.  His out-of-school interests include canoeing, fishing, restoring his old farm house and working with teams of undergraduate and graduate students to understand ecosystems. He has conducted over $1.2 million in externally-funded research and his former students work for the US Fish & Wildlife Service, the VA Dept. of Environmental Quality, the Natural Heritage Program, The Nature Conservancy, local environmental consulting firms and elsewhere. He and his wife Leslie have a young son and daughter.

back to top

Center for Wetland Conservation

The Center for Wetland Conservation fosters research, service, and instruction in environmental studies at CNU.

Projects typically involve collaboration with state and federal governmental and nongovernmental agencies, participation by undergraduate and graduate students and faculty, and generation of both applied and theoretical wetland knowledge.

Email: CenterForWetlandConservation@gmail.com