Robert L.
educator consultant microbiologist microbiology educator
Robert Lee Tate III was born in Victoria, Australia, on December 1, 1944. His parents were Leona and Robert Tate. His professional life developed across Australia and the United States, where he pursued advanced scientific training and established a career in soil microbiology, environmental science, and higher education.
Tate studied at the University of Arizona, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in 1966 and a Master of Science in 1967. He completed a Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin in 1970. His academic training led to postdoctoral work at the University of California, Los Angeles, followed by research and university appointments in soil microbiology and environmental science.
Tate began his professional career as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Los Angeles, from 1970 to 1972. He then worked as a research associate at Cornell University from 1972 to 1975. From 1975 to 1981 he held assistant and associate professorial appointments at the University of Florida, where his research included microbial activity in organic soils, nitrification in histosols, soil moisture effects, and soil organic-matter transformation. From 1981 to 1984 he was an assistant professor of soil microbiology at Rutgers University. He later became a professor of soil microbiology in Rutgers University's Department of Environmental Sciences and was subsequently Professor Emeritus. At Rutgers he also served as chair of the Department of Environmental Sciences and director of the undergraduate Environmental Science Program. His research examined microbial communities, microbial diversity, soil enzymes, biogeochemical cycling, contaminated soils, and the ecological functions of soil organic matter. He served as editor-in-chief of Soil Science and as an editor of the Journal of the Soil Science Society of America. Tate continued publishing on soil microbial communities and environmental microbiology, including a 2019 study of a chemically defined medium for soil microbial-community research.
Authored major textbooks and monographs on soil microbiology and soil organic matter, including Soil Microbiology and Soil Organic Matter: Biological and Ecological Effects.
Conducted influential research on microbial activity in organic soils, heterotrophic nitrification, soil microbial diversity, microbial communities, and the ecological functions of soil organic matter.
Served as editor-in-chief of Soil Science and as an editor of the Journal of the Soil Science Society of America.
Directed the undergraduate Environmental Science Program and chaired the Department of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University.
(Chapter examining methods for assessing soil microbial di...)
2020(Chapter co-authored with B. F. Rogers on methods for asse...)
2002(Research on heterotrophic and autotrophic nitrifier popul...)
1980(Research article examining the potential role of heterotr...)
1977(Research article analyzing microbial activity in organic ...)
1979(Study of microbial activity in histosols and its relation...)
1980(Co-authored research article with Scott A. Mittman descri...)
2019(A book examining the biological and ecological functions,...)
1987(Third edition, substantially revised to address microbial...)
2020(First edition of Tate's textbook on the behavior and func...)
1995Tate was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society for Microbiology, the Soil Science Society of America, Phi Beta Kappa, and Phi Kappa Phi. He was also associated with the American Society of Agronomy and was recognized as a fellow of leading scientific societies serving soil microbiologists, including the Soil Science Society of America and the American Society of Agronomy.
Tate's documented family connections include his mother, Leona, and his father, Robert. His professional connections included research collaborations with Richard E. Terry, John J. Kelly, Max M. Häggblom, B. F. Rogers, and Scott A. Mittman on soil microbial activity, microbial communities, environmental assessment, and soil-metal interactions.
