Professor Paul Robbins is the Director of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has a bachelor's degree in Anthropology from UW-Madison, and a master's degree and a doctorate in Geography from Clark University. An award-winning professor, he previously led the School of Geography and Development at The University of Arizona, and he has also taught at The Ohio State University.

Professor Robbins has years of experience as a geographic researcher and educator, specializing in human interactions with nature and the politics of natural resource management. He has taught topics ranging from environmental studies and natural resource policy to social theory. His research addresses questions spanning conservation conflicts, urban ecology, and environment and health interactions. He has done extensive fieldwork in rural India, as well as a range of research in the American Southwest, Yellowstone National Park, and elsewhere.

He is the author of numerous books and articles, including the foundational textbook Political Ecology: A Critical Introduction and the award-winning Lawn People: How Grasses, Weeds, and Chemicals Make Us Who We Are. Professor Robbins has been interviewed by numerous media organizations, including The New York Times, and has been a guest on national radio and television programs, including National Public Radio's Science Friday.