Robert's interests are in political ecology and urban environmental governance, especially in Brazil. His research has focussed on hazards, disasters, and urbanisation, overlapping these issues with the critical geographies of citizenship and the state. His PhD thesis, "The Ecology of Citizenship: understanding vulnerability in urban Brazil", was awarded in 2017 at King's Brazil Institute, King's College London. He is also undertaking work at the intersection of urbanisation and nature conservation, especially about big cats in Brazil.

Robert has previous degress in Globalization & Latin American Development (ILAS, University of London, 2011), Postcolonial Politics (Aberystwyth, 2003), and International Relations (Nottingham Trent, 2001).

Publications:

https://research.wur.nl/en/persons/robert-coates

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robert_Coates7