Dr. Bates has primary research interests in environmental sociology with dual research projects centered on development in Latin America and in New Jersey. She has published multiple articles that document the social impacts of environmental change in the Ecuadorian Amazon, and on environmental controversies in New Jersey.

She was also one of the principal investigators involved in the NSF-funded TCNJ Advancement Program (TAP), which studied gender equity across disciplines at TCNJ. She served as the evaluator on the NSF-funded CABECT project between 2012 and 2017, and she is currently a co-PI on the Collaborating Across Boundaries project. Research from this project is featured by the Association for Women in Science.  Dr. Bates is currently working with colleagues at TCNJ and nationwide to determine if work-family balance and/or the promotion process varies by gender, discipline, or cohort.

She has served as the lead writer and academic consultant for the Trenton Prevention Policy Board, which seeks community-based solutions to curb juvenile delinquency.  She serves as the academic consultant for the health working group.

Research work with TCNJ students has focused on local environmental issues, including how the state’s communities and organizations are recovering from SuperStorm Sandy.

Dr. Bates is a strong advocate of community engaged learning, and has worked for the many years to establish programs that engage students in the Trenton metropolitan area, such as the Community and Environmental Transitions program, funded by the National Council for Undergraduate Research (NCUR), and the Bonner Summer Fellows Program.

Dr. Bates currently serves as the Coordinator for the Environmental Studies Interdisciplinary Concentration at TCNJ and as the Faculty Advisor for the Sociology Honor Society, Alpha Kappa Delta.