He worked for one year with the Florida Department Agriculture, Division of Plant Industry as an assistant to the Regional Inspector in Miami . Attended graduate school from 1962 to 1964 at the University of Miami receiving a Master of Science Degree in Botany. Continued graduate school from 1964 to 1967 at Washington State University in Pullman Washington majoring in Plant Pathology receiving a Ph.D.

Some of Robert's major accomplishments through his research: he has described numerous plant pathogens with control methods, which were devastating the ornamentals, tropical fruit and vegetable crops; he has gained recognition as a leading authority of diseases of ornamentals, tropical fruits and vegetables throughout the tropical world; he brought recognition to the University of Florida, IFAS Extension at the leading Plant Diagnostic Clinic in South Florida; he patented 2 biological agents, which have shown promise for the control of numerous plant pathogens.

Although plant tissue culture had been practiced and reported in the scientific journals since at least the 1950s, it wasn't until the late 1970s that the potential to use techniques to genetically alter plants was starting to be realized. Any technique that genetically altered plant tissue would be of little use to agricultural or horticultural if plants could not be regenerated from the transformed tissue. This work performed in Dr. McMillan's plant pathology laboratory in the 1980s was to develop protocols for regenerating plants from callus tissue from tomato (Lycopersicon esculenturm), naranjilla (Solanum quitoneses), cocona (Solanum sessiliforum), and cacao (Theobroma cacao).

Robert's obligations as an Emeritus Professor to the University of Florida and Miami Dade College are teaching Plant Pathology with emphasis on Orchid Diseases and other ornamental plant disorders. Currently, he is the Director of Research and Development for Kerry's Bromeliad Nursery, Inc. in Homestead Florida and Twyford International tissue culture laboratory. His duties at the nursery are to develop disease control strategies, as well as production practices for orchids and bromeliads. With the Twyford division. He deals with issues of tissue culture advancement and plant contaminates.