Thomas Harter joined the faculty at the Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources at University of California, Davis in 1995. His research focuses on nonpoint-source pollution of groundwater, groundwater resources evaluation under uncertainty, groundwater modeling and contaminant transport.

Harter’s research group has done extensive modeling, laboratory and field work to evaluate the impacts of agriculture and human activity on groundwater flow and contaminant transport in complex aquifer and soil systems.

In 2007, Harter was appointed to the Robert M. Hagan Endowed Chair in Water Management and Policy. The following year, his research and extension program received the Kevin J. Neese Award in recognition of its efforts to engage scientists, regulators, farm advisors, dairy industry representatives and dairy farmers to better understand the effects of dairy operations on water quality.

Harter has a bachelor’s degree in hydrology from the University of Freiburg, Germany and a master’s degree in hydrology from the University of Stuttgart, Germany. He received his doctorate in hydrology (with emphasis on subsurface hydrology) at the University of Arizona.

He joined the Foundation’s Board of Directors in 2014.