Robertson is a University Distinguished Professor of ecosystem science with the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and College of Natural Science. He is an internationally recognized crop and soil scientist and ecosystem ecologist. His more than four decades of research have focused on the biogeochemistry and productivity of field crop ecosystems and landscapes.
Robertson has made significant contributions to understanding how farming practices influence climate stability, water quality and crop yields for corn, soybeans and wheat. He has led several of the nation’s most influential agricultural research programs, including the National Science Foundation’s Long-Term Ecological Research program or LTER from 1988 to 2017. He also played a foundational role in three of MSU's major agroecology initiatives at KBS: the LTER, the USDA’s Long-Term Agroecosystem Research Network and the Department of Energy’s Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, for which he served as science director from 2017 to 2021. Robertson has also made considerable contributions to science policies by serving on national committees.
This spring, MSU achieved a rare and remarkable milestone: three of our faculty were elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Congratulations to Professors Christoph Benning, Jianguo "Jack" Liu, and G. Philip Robertson for earning one of the highest honors in science. Their work in plant biochemistry, sustainability, and ecosystem science represents research excellence at its finest.
Several former colleagues were inducted as well. Robin Buell, who served at MSU as a University Distinguished Faculty and MSU Research Foundation Professor from 2007 to 2021, continues to make an impact in her current role at the University of Georgia.
Two former MSU postdocs—Joe Zhou (now at University of Oklahoma) and Valeria Souza (now at Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico) were also elected.
These recognitions for current and former colleagues demonstrate the power of MSU as a place to develop and nurture creative and scientific talent.