Charles Harvey (scientist)

Charles Franklin Harvey
Born1964 (age 61–62)
Academic background
EducationOberlin College (BA)
Stanford University (MS, PhD)
ThesisSolute transport in spatially heterogeneous aquifers: Mapping large-scale structures and modeling small-scale effects (1996)
Doctoral advisorSteven M. Gorelick
Academic work
InstitutionsMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Main interests

Charles Franklin Harvey (born c. 1964) is an American hydrologist and biogeochemist. He is a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.[1][2]

Early life and education

Harvey earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from Oberlin College in 1986. He pursued a medical degree at the Ohio State University in 1987 for one year before pursuing a career as a hydrologist.

He returned to graduate school and attended Stanford University, where he earned a Master of Science degree in applied Earth Science and a doctorate in Geological and Environmental Sciences in 1996. He was advised by Steven M. Gorelick and wrote a dissertation on solute transport in aquifers.

Career

Harvey joined the United States Geological Survey (USGS) as a hydrologist in 1987.[3] He dropped out of his medical program and continued at the USGS in Menlo Park, California until 1990. After completing his doctorate at Stanford, he joined Harvard University in 1996 as the Gordon McKay Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering. In 1998, he moved to MIT, where he became an associate professor in 2003 and full professor in 2011.

His research at MIT has contributed to understanding chemical transport and reactions in flowing groundwater.[4][5] He has studied the interaction of groundwater with seawater in the United States and arsenic contamination of groundwater in Bangladesh and Vietnam. He has also studied hydrology and ecology of peat swamp forests in Borneo.[6][7] He has testified at Congressional hearings and provided testimony for state bills regarding carbon sequestration, aquifer health, and climate change.[8][9][10]

Notable past students include hydrogeologist Holly Michael, Kobold Metals CEO Kurt House, and Stanford University professor Alison Hoyt.

He was awarded the Freeman Lectureship by MIT and the Boston Society of Civil Engineers in 2003 and the Oliver Lectureship from the University of Texas at Austin in 2009. Harvey received the "Working-Class Hero" award from Miller-McCune Magazine and the science prize for online resources for education by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2010.[11] He is a scientific advisor for Graphyte. He has written op-eds for the New York Times,[12] Wall Street Journal,[13] and the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.[14] He holds patents for the characterization of subsurface carbon sequestration reservoirs using air injection and for an aquifer differential pressure sensor.[15]

Harvey is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the Geological Society of America. In 2026, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.[16]

Awards

References

  1. ^ "Charles F. Harvey". cee.mit.edu. MIT Civil and Environmental Engineering. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  2. ^ "National Academy of Engineering Elects 130 Members and 28 International Members". National Academy of Engineering. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  3. ^ "Charles Harvey (MIT) and Fred Day-Lewis (USGS) prepare the fiber-optic | U.S. Geological Survey". www.usgs.gov. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  4. ^ Spano, Andrew (July 22, 2025). Paracosm: Misadventures in Unreality. Ethics International Press. p. 310. ISBN 978-1-80441-765-2. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  5. ^ Graduating Engineer & Computer Careers. Peterson's Magazine Group. 2004. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  6. ^ "Wednesday, October 30th, 2024; with Professor Charles Harvey (MIT) | Geosciences | Union College". www.union.edu. Union College. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  7. ^ "Charles Harvey | Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS)". MIT. Abdul Latif Jameel Water & Food Systems Lab. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  8. ^ Ayoub, Callie (April 28, 2025). "Charles Harvey testifies on Illinois carbon sequestration leak concerns". cee.mit.edu. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  9. ^ "Carbon Capture & Storage: More Useful for Producing Oil than Cutting Greenhouse Gas Emissions?". Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  10. ^ Wang, Eric; Moroz, Veronika (March 6, 2025). "Celebrating civil and environmental engineering: Course 1 hosts 13th annual research symposium". The Tech. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  11. ^ "Charles Harvey CV" (PDF). MIT. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  12. ^ Harvey, Charles; House, Kurt (August 16, 2022). "Opinion | Every Dollar Spent on This Climate Technology Is a Waste". The New York Times. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  13. ^ Ziegler, Bart (November 28, 2023). "What Is the Future for Carbon Capture Technology?". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  14. ^ McKenzie, Jessica (December 15, 2023). "Direct air capture: An expensive, dangerous distraction from real climate solutions". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  15. ^ Mulligan, Ann E.; Gardner, Alan T.; Hammar, Terence; Harvey, Charles; Hemond, Harold F. (September 2, 2014). "Differential pressure systems and methods for measuring hydraulic parameters across surface water-aquifer interfaces". Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  16. ^ "MIT community members elected to the National Academy of Engineering for 2026". MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. February 17, 2026. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  17. ^ "Geological Society of America - Honors & Awards". www.geosociety.org. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  18. ^ "Dr Charles Franklin Harvey". The Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW). Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  19. ^ "M. King Hubbert Award recipients". National Ground Water Association. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
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