He received his PhD in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focuses on the use of enterprise zones to help economically depressed regions, the politics of economic development policies, state immigration policies, and local elections and government. Bob has taught classes on Saratoga Springs politics for the past 10 years and conducted numerous surveys of citizens as part of his Real Democracy class. He has also supervised numerous Skidmore student senior thesis on environmental and political issues in Saratoga Springs. He is a frequent commentator on Saratoga Springs politics for local media.