Robert studied mathematics and computer science at the University of Sussex and joined EPIC-Norfolk in 1994. Robert designed the computer infrastructure and data capture in EPIC-Norfolk. As the data collected became broader and more ambitious, Robert led a multidisciplinary team of applied computer and data scientists. He is also a member of the study steering committee. Robert established cohort hospital data linkage at a time when few studies were able to do this. His interest in the epidemiology of hospital admissions in the EPIC cohort led to his PhD which explores this topic.