He is Distinguished Professor of Geochemistry in the Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences, University of California – Los Angeles.
His Ph.D. research from 1978 to 1980 developing 40Ar/39Ar thermochronology was conducted under the supervision of Prof. Ian McDougall at the Australian National University.
Following a postdoctoral fellowship at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Harrison spent 8 years on the faculty of the department of geological sciences at the State University of New York at Albany[2] rising from assistant to full professor.
In 2021 Harrison was awarded the Walter Bucher medal of the American Geophysical Union, and in 2023 the Dodson Prize of the International standing Committee on Thermochronology.
Harrison has published over 260 papers and books[12] on a range of topics including the evolution of the Tibet-Himalaya orogenic system, geochemical kinetics, the origin and transport of magmas, geochronology, interpretive models for heat and mass flow, evolution of petroleum reservoirs and geothermal systems, and investigations of the very early Earth, including documenting the earliest evidence of oceans, continents, plate tectonics, and life.