Dr. Bates holds a bachelor's in biology from Lewis and Clark College earned in 1966, earned his master's degree in bacteriology and public health at WSU in 1969, and holds a doctorate in virology from Colorado State University earned in 1972.
Dr. Bates joined WSU in 2002 as Provost and Academic Vice President. In September 2005, Dr. Rawlins changed his title to Provost and Executive Vice President so Dr. Bates serves as provost for the University and now also serves as executive vice president for the Pullman campus. He is thus the chief academic officer for Washington State University as a whole while also administering the Pullman campus. He is responsible for all WSU academic issues, ensuring the excellence of the WSU programs.
Dr. Bates' previous position was at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where he was the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of microbiology. Bates before becoming dean, was associate dean for research, facilities and graduate studies. He joined the Virginia Tech faculty in 1972 as an assistant professor and was promoted to full professor in 1985.
He has conducted research on molecular biology of parvoviruses and received numerous research grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and American Cancer Society. In addition to teaching courses in microbiology and virology, he has published 47 referred book chapters and journal articles, as well as 15 technical reports on virus topics.
The WSU administrator is a member of the American Society of Biological Chemists, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Society of Sigma Xi and American Society for Virology. Bates is recognized as one of 20 individuals in Colorado State Universities Gallery of Contemporary Faculty.
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Robert C. Bates is Provost and Executive Vice President at WSU.