Bob migrated to US in 1972 but was asked to return to NZ in 1983 to urgently fill a Senior Lecturer role in "Process Design, Analysis and Economics" (the incumbent had been seconded to Shell's NZ Refining Company to deal with their crash upgrade project precipitated by the Iran - Iraq war). Bob served on Auckland University's Engineering School curriculum redesign, designed and built a six-station "Computer-Based Training" lab for process design, served on campus-wide technology committee, and taught Materials Engineering to the skipper who took America's Cup from US!

In 1985 Mobil asked the University Chancellor to release him to mentor new engineers on startup of N.Z. SynFuel. In 1990 Bob was transferred to Mobil R&D Corp'n where his role included mentoring six-month Drexel interns. He trained staff globally on Mobil Crude Oil Assays software in 1992, "GENIE" best practices tools for EH&S 1996-1997, Korea Gas on American design codes in 1997.

In 2002 American University appointed him as "Researcher-in-Residence", principally to setup GIS bench strength at the Faculty and the graduate program level through AU's Center for Teaching Excellence. He wrote plans for PSM (Professional Sciences Masters) program in 2003 which won Sloan funding, including hosting professional breakfasts for AU Professional Science MS briefings, and is featured on their brochure cover.

In 2003 and 2004 he was summer technology advisor to the School of Public Service for 40 top high school students from around the nation interested in pursuing a career in public service.

Spring 2006 he was adjunct at Western Washington University, teaching Introduction to Planning plus an advanced GIS course, including a town center study for Birch Bay and a photo-map history of Bellingham harbor.