Education

• PhD., Biological and Agricultural Engineering, North Carolina State University
• M.S., Biological and Agricultural Engineering, North Carolina State University
• B.S., Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, University of Kentucky

Certifications

  • PhD

Professional Memberships:

• American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE)
• American Ecological Engineering Society

Areas of Research and Professional Interest

• Emerging Sensor Technologies
• Hydrologic and Stable Isotope Tracer Techniques
• Nutrient and Pesticide Cycling, Fate, and Transport
• Agricultural Systems
• Surface Water Hydrology Modeling​
• Ecosystem Restoration
• Engineering Education
• Environmental Impacts in Developing Countries
• Groundwater Hydrology Modeling
• Restoration Assessments of Ecosystem Services
• Environmental Policy

In the News

• Apr 05, 2021: Faculty Spotlight: Tiffany Messer

Courses Taught

• Graduate Seminar 1 (BSEN/AGEN 889)
• Introduction to Wetlands (NRES 468/868)
• Vadose Zone (AGEN 957)
• Computer Aided Problem Solving (BSEN 112)

Honors and Awards

• USDA AFRI NIFA Fellow (2016)
• EPA STAR Fellow (2012-2015)

Funding

1. Managing Water Resources at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, ARD & US MARC Research Collaborations, 7/3/17 – 12/31/19, A. Mittelstet, T. Messer, and T. Gilmore. Sponsor amount: $83,612, UNL Cost Share: $0, Total Amount: $83,612 (30% Messer)
2. Photodegradation of Insecticides in Rivers Adjacent to Agricultural Intensive Regions: A Novel Water Quality Monitoring Approach & USDA-NIFA, 1/1/18 – 12/31/21, T. Messer, D. Snow, and M. Doyle. Sponsor amount: $499,547, UNL Cost Share: $0 (80% Messer)
3. Investigating mobile genetic elements and resistance gene reservoirs towards understanding the emergence and ecology of antimicrobial resistance in beef cattle production systems, USDA-NIFA, 1/1/18 – 12/31/21, S. Fernando, S. Bartlett-Hunt, D. Loy, T. Messer, G. Morota, H. Paz Manzano, A. Schmidt, D. Snow, and R. Stowell, Total Amount: $830,751 (5% Messer).

Selected Publications

1. Messer, T.L., M.R. Burchell, and F. Bírgand. 2017. Comparison of Four Nitrate Removal Kinetic Models in Two Distinct Wetland Restoration Mesocosm Systems. Water, 9: 517-537.
2. Messer, T.L., M.R. Burchell, F. Bírgand, S. Broome, and G. Chescheir. 2017. Nitrate Removal Potential of Restored Wetlands Loaded with Agricultural Drainage Water: A Mesocosm Scale Experimental Approach, Ecological Engineering, 106: 541-554.
3. Messer, T.L., M.R. Burchell, J.K. Böhlke, and C.R. Tobias. 2017. Tracing the Fate of Nitrate through Restored Wetlands: A Mesocosm Scale 15N Enrichment Tracer Study, Ecological Engineering, 106: 597-608.
4. Wiseman, J., M.R. Burchell, G.L. Grabow, D.L. Osmond, and T.L. Messer. 2014. Groundwater nitrate concentration reductions in a riparian buffer enrolled in the NC Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. Journal of American Water Resources Association, 50(3): 653-664.
5. Messer, T. L., M.R. Burchell, D.L. Osmond, and G.L. Grabow. 2012. Groundwater Nitrate Reductions within Upstream and Downstream Sections of a Riparian Buffer. Ecological Engineering, 47: 397-407.