Susan was born and raised in Calgary, the oldest of four siblings.   She attended the University of Calgary and was awarded a BSc in CMMB (Cellular, Molecular and Microbiology) in 1990.  Her first experience of experimental research was through an independent study course in her final year of undergraduate studies, during which she investigated the Effects of Plumbagin on the growth and some enzymes of the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa, under the supervision of Dr M Kapoor.

Following graduation Susan worked as a laboratory technician at the Health Sciences Centre, University of Calgary, on studies of drug-iron interaction and gastrointestinal absorption in animal models, and of fetal lung growth and physiology in animal models.

Publications in Refereed Journals

• Campbell, NRC, Meddings, JB, Hasinoff, BB, Anderson, WD, Robertson, S and Granberg, K (1993) Ferrous sulphate reduces cimetidine absorption. Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 38(5): 950-954.
• Campbell, NRC, Hasinoff, BB, Robertson, S and Singh, M (1993) Absence of an effect of ferrous sulphate on phenytoin absorption. Clinical Investigative Medicine, 16(4): 280-284.
• Campbell, NRC, Hasinoff, BB, Singh, M and Robertson, S (1994) Ferrous sulphate does not directly affect pteroylmonoglutamic acid absorption in rats. British Journal of Nutrition, 72(3): 447-453.
• Skerjanec, A, Campbell, NRC, Robertson, S, and Tam, YK (1995) Pharmacokinetics and presystemic gut metabolism of methyldopa in healthy-human subjects. Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 35(3): 275-280.
• Campbell, NRC, Skerjanec, A, Tam, Y, Robertson, S and Burgess, E (1995) Methyldopa kinetics before and after ingestion of methyldopa for eight weeks. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 48(5): 397-400.

In 1994 Susan moved to the southern Okanagan where she worked as a consulting biologist on a number of environmentally-related projects.  She then returned to university and in 1996 was awarded a Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Environmental Toxicology by Simon Fraser University.   During part of this program she worked as a research assistant at SFU, investigating biocontrol of spider mites on tomato plants.  On graduation she returned to environmental work in the Okanagan, the west coast and finally in 1999 in Prince George.

A year later Susan enrolled in the University of Northern British Columbia graduate program and in 2003 was awarded an MSc in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies.  Her thesis, supervised by Dr H Massicote, was entitled - Morphological and Molecular Assessment of Ectomycorrhizal Communities Associating with Black Spruce....  She continued directly into a doctoral program and in 2009 was awarded a PhD.  Her thesis, entitled Ecology of Ecto- and Ericoid Mycorrhizal Systems in Petroleum Hydrocarbon-contaminated Sub-boreal Forest Soils, was co-supervised by Drs H Massicotte and M Rutherford.  She remained briefly at UNBC as a NRES Post-doctoral Fellow.

Convocation June 5, 2009.  Susan with her co-supervisors Hugues Massicotte (left) and Michael Rutherford (right).

Publications in Refereed Journals

• Robertson, SJ, Tackaberry, LE, Egger, KN and Massicotte, HB (2006) Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities of black spruce differ between wetland and upland forests. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 36(4): 972-985 (doi:10.1139/X06-001).
• Robertson SJ, McGill WB, Massicotte HB, Rutherford PM. Petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in boreal forest soils: a mycorrhizal ecosystems perspective. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2007 May; 82(2):213-40.  
• Robertson SJ, Kennedy NM, Massicotte HB, Rutherford PM. Enhanced biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in the mycorrhizosphere of sub-boreal forest soils. Environ Microbiol Rep. 2010 Aug; 2(4):587-93.
• Robertson, SJ, Rutherford, PM and Massicotte, HB (2011) Plant host and soil properties: major determinants of microbial community structure in shared Pinus-Vaccinium rhizospheres in petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated forest soils. Plant and Soil, 346: 121-132 (doi:10.1007/s11104-011-0802-2).
• Robertson, SJ, Rutherford, PM, López-Gutiérrez, JC and Massicotte, HB (2012) Biochar enhances seedling growth and alters root symbioses and properties of sub-boreal forest soils. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 92: 329-340 (doi:10.4141/CJSS2011-066).
• Kennedy NM, Robertson SJ, Green DS, Scholefield SR, Arocena JM, Tackaberry LE, Massicotte HB, Egger KN. Site properties have a stronger influence than fire severity on ectomycorrhizal fungi and associated N-cycling bacteria in regenerating post-beetle-killed lodgepole pine forests. Folia Microbiol (Praha). 2015 Sep; 60(5):399-410.
• Arocena, JM, Velde, B and Robertson, SJ (2012) Weathering of biotite in the presence of arbuscular mycorrhizae in selected agricultural crops. Applied Clay Sciences, 64:12-17

In 2010 Susan moved to Toronto as a Post-doctoral Fellow in the Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto in Dr D Philpott's lab.  She later continued as a Research Associate in the Department of Immunology, a position she held until her death in 2019.

Publications in Refereed Journals

• Robertson, SJ and Girardin, SE (2013) Nod-like receptors in intestinal host defense: controlling pathogens, the microbiota or both? Current Opinion in Gastroenterology, 29(1):15-22 (doi:10.1097/MOG.0b013e32835a68ea).
• Geddes K, Rubino SJ, Magalhaes JG, Streutker C, Le Bourhis L, Cho JH, Robertson SJ, Kim CJ, Kaul R, Philpott DJ* and Girardin SE*. *co-senior authors. Identification of an innate T helper type 17 response to intestinal bacterial pathogens. Nat Med. 2011 Jun 12; 17(7):837-44.
• Robertson SJ, Rubino SJ, Geddes K, Philpott DJ. Examining host-microbial interactions through the lens of NOD: From plants to mammals. Semin Immunol. 2012 Feb; 24(1):9-16.
• Fritz JH, Rojas OL, Simard N, McCarthy DD, Hapfelmeier S, Rubino S, Robertson SJ, Larijani M, Gosselin J, Ivanov II, Martin A, Casellas R, Philpott DJ, Girardin SE, McCoy KD, Macpherson AJ, Paige CJ and Gommerman JL. Acquisition of a multifunctional IgA+ plasma cell phenotype in the gut. Nature. 2012 Dec 11; 481(7380):199-203.
• Robertson SJ, Zhou JY, Geddes K, Rubino SJ, Cho JH, Girardin SE and Philpott DJ. Nod1 and Nod2 signaling does not alter the composition of intestinal bacterial communities at homeostasis. Gut Microbes. 2013 Apr 2; 4(3).
• Philpott DJ, Sorbara MT, Robertson SJ, Croitoru K, Girardin SE. NOD proteins: regulators of inflammation in health and disease. Nat Rev Immunol. 2014 Jan; 14(1):9-23. Review.
• Peter MR, Jerkic M, Sotov V, Douda DN, Ardelean DS, Ghamami N, Lakschevitz F, Khan MA, Robertson SJ, Glogauer M, Philpott DJ, Palaniyar N, Letarte M. Impaired resolution of inflammation in the Endoglin heterozygous mouse model of chronic colitis. Mediators Inflamm. 2014 Jan 1; 2014:767185.
• Soares F, Tattoli I, Rahman MA, Robertson SJ, Belcheva A, Liu D, Streutker C, Winer S, Winer DA, Martin A, Philpott DJ, Arnoult D, Girardin SE. The mitochondrial protein NLRX1 controls the balance between extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis. J Biol Chem. 2014 289(28):19317-30.
• Belchava A, Irrazabal T, Robertson SJ, Streutker C, Moriyama EH, Maughan H, Kumar S, Green B, Rubino S, Pezo RC, Navarre WW, Girardin SE, Milosevic M, Wilson BC, Wolever TMS, Guttman DS, Philpott DJ and Martin A. Gut microbial metabolism drives transformation of Msh2-deficient colon epithelial cells. Cell. 2014 158(2):288-99.
• Robertson SJ, Geddes K, Maisonneuve C, Streutker CJ and Philpott DJ. Resilience of the intestinal microbiota following pathogenic bacterial infection is independent of innate immunity mediated by NOD1 or NOD2. Microbes Infect. 2016.18(7-8):460-71.
• Zanello G, Goethel A, Rouquier S, Prescott D, Robertson SJ, Maisonneuve C, Streutker C, Philpott DJ and Croitoru K. The Cytosolic Microbial Receptor Nod2 Regulates Small Intestinal Crypt Damage and Epithelial Regeneration following T Cell-Induced Enteropathy. J Immunol. 2016. 197(1):345-55.
• Selvanantham T, Lin Q, Guo CX, Surendra A, Fieve S, Escalante NK, Guttman DS, Streutker CJ, Robertson SJ, Philpott DJ, Mallevaey T. NKT cell-deficient mice harbor an altered microbiota that fuels intestinal inflammation during chemically Induced colitis. J Immunol. 2016 Dec 1; 197(11):4464-4472.
• Chan KL, Tam TH, Boroumand P, Prescott D, Costford SR, Escalante NK, Fine N, Tu Y, Robertson SJ, Prabaharan D, Liu Z, Bilan PJ, Salter MW, Glogauer M, Girardin SE, Philpott DJ, Klip A. Circulating NOD1 Activators and Hematopoietic NOD1 Contribute to Metabolic Inflammation and Insulin Resistance. Cell Rep. 2017 Mar 7; 18(10):2415-2426.
• Lemire P, Robertson SJ, Maughan H, Muruve DA, Plantich J, Philpott DJ*, Girardin SE*. 2017. NLRP6 does not impact microbiota composition. Cell Rep. 21(13):3653-3661.
• Robertson SJ, Goethel A, Girardin SE, Philpott DJ. Innate Immune Influences on the Gut Microbiome: Lessons from Mouse Models. Trends Immunol. 2018 Dec; 39(12):992-1004.
• Goethel A, Turpin W, Rouquier S, Zanello G, Robertson SJ, Streutker CJ, Philpott DJ, Croitoru K. Nod2 influences microbial resilience and susceptibility to colitis following antibiotic exposure. Mucosal Immunol. 2019. 12(3):720-732.
• Robertson SJ, Lemire P, Maughan H, Goethel A, Turpin W, Bedrani L, Guttman DS, Croitoru K, Girardin SE, Philpott DJ. 2019. Comparison of co-housing and littermate methods for microbiota standardization in mouse models. Cell Reports 27(6):1910-1919.