Bob was a gifted researcher in the field of protein biosynthesis, with a special focus on the ribosome, the organelles that carry out protein synthesis in all living cells. His contributions include describing many structure and function aspects of the ribosome itself - especially binding of ribosomal RNA domains with ribosomal proteins – and the role of the ribosome as it mediates interaction of transfer RNA and messenger RNA at the protein synthesis reaction center. Key strategies included direct in vitro binding with molecular genetic variants and photochemical cross-linking of interacting partners. The results provided important insights into ribosome function in solution and foreshadowed and predicted the amazing details revealed by structural studies in recent years.

Bob spent time as a visiting scholar in both Japan and France, and made his way to Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, and Denmark to present his research as a guest speaker. He was fluent in Russian, having translated a Molecular Biology textbook from Russian back in 1971. His lab entertained sabbatical visitors from Germany, China, Japan, Denmark, Canada, and what was then referred to as the USSR.