She holds a Ph.D. in History from The Boston University, Metcalfe is a visiting researcher scholar and lecturer at The University of Texas at Austin , and has written three non-fiction books. 

Robyn concentrates on the history of urban food markets and is particularly interested in the use of technology to improve and re-invent the global food supply chain. She also is the director of Food+City, a platform that explores the global food supply chain.