Dr. Garrett McKay is currently an associate professor in the Zachry Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA. He completed his Ph.D. in 2017 at the University of Colorado Boulder and was a postdoctoral researcher at the Colorado School of Mines until 2019. Dr. McKay’s research focuses on aquatic photochemistry, characterization of dissolved organic matter (DOM), and PFAS remediation. Since beginning his career as a tenure-track assistant professor at Texas A&M University in fall 2019, Dr. McKay has earned $3.5 M in funding ($2.6 M McKay share) from competitive federal funding agencies (NSF, Army Research Office, and SERDP), and published over 20 peer-reviewed publications, the large majority in ES&T, ES&T Letters, or another ACS journal. He has given 13 invited academic seminars and an invited talk at the 2025 Gordon Research Conference on Disinfection Byproducts and Public Health. Dr. McKay is the recipient of awards for his review service, including the Excellence in Review Award and Super Reviewer Award from Environmental Science & Technology and the Outstanding Reviewer Award from Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts. Dr. McKay also serves on editorial boards for ES&T Letters and ES&T Water, and he is a member of the Early Career Editorial Advisory Board of ES&T. He was selected as a Rising Star in Environmental Research by ACS Environmental Au in 2024 and an honorable mention for the 2024 James J. Morgan Early Career Award. Dr. McKay has mentored over 20 graduate students, undergraduate researchers, and postdocs, leading to successful completion of two MS theses and two PhD dissertations. Graduates from Dr. McKay’s group have achieved professional success in industry and academic careers. Outside of work, Garrett enjoys running and spending time with his wife and three sons.
Appointments
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Education |
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Associate Professor, 2025-present
Zachry Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering Dwight Look College of Engineering Texas A&M University A.P. & Florence Wiley Career Development Professor , 2025-present Postdoctoral Scholar, 2018-2019 Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering Colorado School of Mines Graduate Research Assistant, 2014-2017 Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering University of Colorado Boulder Adjunct Instructor, 2013-2014 Irvine Valley College Irvine, CA Science Consultant, 2013 Michel & Associates Long Beach, CA |
PhD in Environmental Engineering, 2017
University of Colorado Boulder MS in Chemistry, 2013 California State University Long Beach BA in Chemistry, 2011 California State University Long Beach |