Rob's research is wide-ranging, integrating geomorphology, sedimentology, stratigraphy and tectonics to study tectonically-active landscapes and sedimentary basin evolution. One of his major research areas is sedimentation and tectonics in rift basins, including the role of fault growth and linkage in controlling rift topography and syn-rift stratigraphy. His research also tackles sequence stratigraphic concepts, for example, controls on the 3D variability of basin margin sequences and the role of sea-level rise and fall in early diagenetic modification (cementation and leaching). These research areas utilize both outcrop and subsurface data and are important for reservoir characterization and the development of exploration concepts.