Thomas P. O’Farrell studied zoology and entomology at the University of Tennessee, where he received his Ph.D. in the 1960s. O’Farrell worked under contract with various institutions such as the Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, EG&G, the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA), the United States Department of Energy (DOE), and the University of Nevada System’s Desert Research Institute (DRI).