He is currently an emeritus faculty member at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City.
Altman is famous for his work with Taylor resulting in the social penetration theory, which generally states that as relationships develop, communication moves from relatively shallow, non-intimate levels to deeper, more personal levels.
If conversation is pleasant and rewarding, people will offer more information about themselves to each other that covers more areas of their life and is more sensitive to them.
Altman also did work in the field of environmental psychology.
Much of his work following his Social Penetration Theory looked at human behavior and interactions with the environment.