Michael Robson began his medical studies at Oxford University, where he obtained a First Class undergraduate degree in 1989, and then went to London for clinical studies. He trained in nephrology at King’s College and Guy’s Hospitals. Following the award of an MRC clinical training fellowship and research into glomerulonephritis, he gained a PhD from Imperial College in 2000. He came to KCL in 2002 on a Wellcome Trust Advanced Fellowship and has been a consultant nephrologist and Guy's and St Thomas’ since 2002.

He has a clinical interest in glomerulonephritis and vascular access for haemodialysis. He is a lead nephrologist in a clinic with one of the largest cohorts of patients with lupus nephritis in the UK. Fifty percent of his time is spent on clinical work. From 2017 - 2021 he was Chair of the UK Kidney Association Clinical Practice Guidance committee.

Previous research has been laboratory-based with the aim of understanding the mechanisms of disease in glomerulonephritis in order to discover new treatments. He was also the Chief Investigator for the UK-wide PAVE trial, assessing drug-coated balloons in the treatment of arteriovenous fistulas. He is currently leading and developing clinical trials in patients on dialysis and patients with lupus nephritis.