James Mercer is a hydrogeologist with Tetra Tech Inc. He received a B.S. from Florida State University and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois; all of his degrees are in geology. He spent eight years with the U.S. Geological Survey in the Northeastern Research Group working on contaminant and heat transport issues, including multiphase flow. He co-founded GeoTrans (now part of Tetra Tech) in 1979, and in 1980 began working on hazardous waste issues at Love Canal. In 1985, Mercer received the Wesley W. Horner Award of the American Society of Civil Engineers for the work performed at Love Canal. He continued to work on contamination issues and co-authored the book DNAPL Site Evaluation in 1993. In 1994, he received the American Institutes of Hydrology’s Theis Award for contributions to groundwater hydrology. Mercer has served on the National Research Council’s Water Science and Technology Board and was a member of the U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board. He is currently on the Scientific Advisory Board of SERDP.