North Schuylkill Home of the Spartans North Schuylkill School District - Home of the Spartans

Tom Darrah, the son of Ed and Sue Darrah, was born in Centralia, PA in 1981 and was a 2000 graduate of North Schuylkill High School. At North Schuylkill Tom was the President of the National Honor Society and a member of the baseball, wrestling, and football teams.

After graduating from North Schuylkill, Tom attended the University of Rochester where he obtained a Bachelor of Science ('04), Masters ('06), and PhD ('09) in Geology. During that time, he was fortunate enough to travel for work to six continents and mine ore in more than 40 countries around the world working with the United Nations, the US government, and with various industry partners.

After obtaining his PhD, Tom was a Research Scientist at Duke University and later a Professor at The Ohio State University. Tom's work is internationally recognized by various awards, significant contributions to his field through research funded by the National Science Foundation, US Department of Defense, US Department of Energy, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NASA, and others. He served as the Director of the Global Water Institute that partnered with various foundations to provide clean water access across four continents, including working on Native American lands and in rural communities in the United States.

He has won various awards including the John Hemm Award for Innovation in Hydrogeology, Ohio State Innovator of the Year, a Forbes Sustainability Leader, and a Fellow of the Geological Society of America. His work has been featured on the National Geographic and Discovery Channels, as well as in Forbes magazine, Rolling Stone, and The Economist.

Tom also has been a successful entrepreneur having founded two companies: Smart Gas Sciences and Koloma. In addition to being a founder, Tom is the Chief Technical Officer at Koloma and is responsible for overseeing natural hydrogen exploration, patents, and licensing of technology.