Eric Tate is a Professor of Public Affairs in the School of Public and International Affairs. He conducts research in the areas of flood hazards, social inequity, and water resources, using spatial indicators to explore interactions among society and environment that generate disasters.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Anthropocene Alliance; on the Resilient America Roundtable of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering, & Medicine; as co-chair of the National Academies study committee on spatial screening tools for environmental justice; and as co-author of the Adaptation chapter of the Fifth National Climate Assessment. 

Prof. Tate earned a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of South Carolina, an M.S. in Environmental & Water Resources Engineering from the University of Texas, and a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Rice University.