Harris began his career as an assistant professor of zoology at Ft. Hays Kansas State College.

After his retirement from teaching, Harris was honored as Professor Emeritus, Biological Sciences.

[3] Harris's research is focused primarily on Pleistocene vertebrate faunal remains from the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.

Harris completed a preliminary report on the fauna of the Pendejo Cave in 1991.

Harris communicated his research to the public through writing episodes of Desert Diaries, a series of radio shorts presented by the Centennial Museum and National Public Radio for the Southwest (KTEP) from 2001 to 2005.