He attended Tiffin School where a teacher inspired his interest in botany, although his academic progress was affected by undiagnosed dyslexia.
[3] Dobson became an expert and an enthusiastic lichenologist, namely the study of organisms that are a symbiotic association of a microscopic alga (or a cyanobacterium) with a filamentous fungus.
He became expert in field identification and was the author of Lichens: An Illustrated Guide to the British and Irish species, first published in 1979 which had reached its 7th revised edition by 2018.
Dobson also recorded lichen distributions, particularly in his home area of Surrey and was a charismatic teacher, influencing many future amateur and professional lichenologists.
[4] In August 2022, the British Lichen Society dedicated the month to commemorating Dobson, especially his contribution to the lichenology community.