Faculty Profile for Dr. Robert J C McLean

Biography Section

Biography and Education

Dr. RJC (Bob) McLean was born in Toronto ON and grew up in rural southwestern Ontario, Canada. He did his undergraduate degree (BSc in Microbiology, 1978) at the University of Guelph and after working for 3 1/2 years in the food industry and half a year as a research technician, pursued his PhD with JW Costerton at the University of Calgary (PhD microbiology 1986). He returned to Guelph ON and did a postdoc with TJ Beveridge from 1986-1988. Bob met his wife, Martha in Guelph and after they got married in 1988, they moved to Kingston ON, where Bob started his academic career in microbiology with a research faculty position at Queen's University from 1988-1993. Their two sons, Malcolm and Alistair, were born during this time. In 1993, Bob accepted a faculty position at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) and rose through the ranks from Assistant Professor to Professor. In 2012, Bob was named a University Distinguished Professor and then a Regents' Professor. In 2021, Bob was elected as a Fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology. His work focuses mainly on bacterial communities on surfaces (biofilms), and more recently microbial interactions during mixed species growth. He has published almost 100 papers, edited two books, 13 book chapters, and co-authored a textbook on microbial ecology. He has received external research funding from EPA, NIH, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and most recently NASA.

Teaching Interests

Microbiology including introductory and advanced microbiology (Microbial Physiology, and Microbial Ecology).

Research Interests

1) Bacterial growth on surfaces as biofilms
2) Spaceflight microbiology
3) Microbial interactions in mixed biofilm and planktonic growth
4) Microbial impacts with geology in both rock formation and rock weathering