After graduate school Fourney took a position at the
University of Washington. He moved to the
University of California, Los Angeles in 1972 holding positions of professor, department chair and chair of the faculty. His work in applied solids and fluid mechanics topics utilized a wide range of optical techniques. and also runs Fourney Eng., Inc.. He was active in the Society for Experimental Stress Analysis and later renamed
Society for Experimental Mechanics, serving as president from 1980 to 1981. He been very active and supportive of the SEM Educational Foundation. == Awards and recognition ==