Profile: Natalie Robson, marine scientist

When Natalie Robson began diving with turtles in Top End waters she was a little nervous: saltwater crocodiles and box jellyfish were hazards she had not encountered growing up around Perth. Sharks yes, but not crocodiles.

“My family is very science-based and my dad was a sailor and surfer and I learnt to dive with my sister when we were at high school; as a child I played in rock pools and dived around reefs. I loved trying to figure out how it all worked and enjoyed looking at the world from a different perspective. I decided to be a marine scientist when I was 10 years old.”

After graduating with honours from the University of Western Australia, Natalie applied for every marine science position imaginable and landed a dream job designed to protect green and hawksbill turtles, at the Conflict Islands in Papua New Guinea.

“I really enjoyed my time in PNG,” she says. “I helped set up a ranger program which gave me awareness of local people, their culture and their country. I was keen to work with rangers as I think indigenous knowledge is very important.

“To do a PhD, it had to be the perfect project – somewhere I could utilise my own ideas and enjoy the scope of the work. I nd turtles to be interesting animals; they are ancient creatures and are very important culturally as a food source in northern Australia.”

Natalie was recruited by Charles Darwin University for an ARC linkage project focusing on the habitat use and genetics of foraging green turtles across the northernmost parts of the NT.

“I didn’t think I would get in the water as much in the NT, but there are many beautiful coral reefs and clear water,” she says. “We are very aware of crocs and stingers. We dress to protect ourselves from jelly sh and have someone on the boat looking out for crocs at all times.

“It was quite an adjustment from sharks to crocs and I was pretty nervous to start with – but you get to know the area you’re working in. I think crocs are more dangerous than sharks, because they are more territorial. Sharks are usually just hungry.”

Natalie finishes her PhD in March 2025. “I’m not sure what I will do next,” she says. “There’s a lot of work still to be done in the marine environment up here and a lot of gaps in knowledge, especially outside of Darwin Harbour.”

For the full story on Natalie and to read more about the marine ecosystem of Wessel Islands, head below to Cosmos 97 | Energy. Effort. Endeavour