Rate My Professor Iain Robinson

Dr Iain Robinson serves as a Senior Lecturer in Lancaster Medical School at Lancaster University, part of the Faculty of Health and Medicine. He earned his PhD in Calcium Imaging in Adrenal Chromaffin Cells from the University of Liverpool in 1992 and a BSc in Physiology/Biochemistry Joint Honours from the University of Wales, College of Cardiff in 1989. The early phase of his research career centered on molecular and cell signalling events that regulate exocytosis and endocytosis. His expertise encompasses electrophysiology, neurobiology, synaptic plasticity, synaptic transmission, synapses, cellular neuroscience, neurodegeneration, neurotransmission, synaptic physiology, and exocytosis. Representative publications from this period include 'Active zone scaffolds differentially accumulate Unc13 isoforms to tune Ca2+ channel–vesicle coupling' (2016) and 'Dysregulation of ubiquitin homeostasis and β-catenin signaling promote spinal muscular atrophy' (2014).

In recent years, Dr Robinson has directed his attention to medical education, with a particular emphasis on assessment methodologies. Notable contributions include 'The Difficulty with Setting a Standard Based on Difficulty: The Role of Validity in Determining Assessment Standards' co-authored with S. A. Burr and D. Zahra (2026, Education Sciences), 'Utilising Random Effects Models to Analyse Multiple Mini-Interviews for Prospective Medical Students – From Theory to Practice' with C. M. P. Castro, N. Phillips, K. Grant, and E. Giorgi (2026, Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development), 'A narrative review of adaptive testing and its application to medical education' (2023, MedEdPublish), 'Standard setting anchor statements: a double cross-over trial of two different methods' (2021, MedEdPublish), and 'Angoff anchor statements: setting a flawed gold standard?' (2017). His scholarly output includes 35 journal articles and 2 review articles from 1991 to 2026, garnering nearly 3,000 citations. He has engaged in conferences such as the European Board of Medical Assessors Annual Conference on Assessment in Medical Education and the European Board of Medical Educators 2020 Virtual Conference. Dr Robinson's research bridges cellular neuroscience and innovative assessment practices in medical training.