[4] He joined the faculty of the University of California, Davis, in 1970 and remained there for the rest of his professional career, teaching courses on water and wastewater treatment and solid waste management.

[3] Tchobanoglous' principal research interests are in the general areas of wastewater treatment, water reuse, and solid waste management.

One application of his findings was in his assistance to the city of San Diego in establishing an aquaculture facility that remained in use for more than 20 years.

For the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) he directed the development of a series of four regional guidance manuals on the restoration, rehabilitation, and creation of salt marshes.

[12] He has given more than 625 technical presentations, with more than 450 as an invited or keynote speaker, in the United States and abroad, including Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America.

In 1999, the University of California, Davis, established an endowed fellowship for graduate students in environmental engineering, named for George and Rosemary Tchobanoglous.