Mate graduated from Loughborough University with a BSc (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Science in 2022, which included a year long industrial placement as an Exercise Physiologist at Loughborough Sport. He then remained at Loughborough for an MSc in Clinical Exercise Physiology, graduating in 2023. After a year of working in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Zürich, he has returned to undertake a PhD with Loughborough University.
Mate's research focuses on the impact of natural and industrialised environments on human biology, with an emphasis on stress and immune function. Mate is keenly interested in understanding whether natural environments facilitate higher willingness to undertake and enjoyment of physical activity.