Anderson-Interface Chair of Natural Systems and
Professor
Education
- B.A. Physics, Mathematics minor (1981), Swarthmore College
- Ph.D. Theoretical High Energy Physics (1986), Cornell University
Expertise
- Industrial ecology
- Energy
- Environmental
- Technology assessment
- Engineering Economics
- Capital Budgeting
About
Valerie Thomas is the Anderson-Interface Chair of Natural Systems and Professor in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, with a joint appointment in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy.
Dr. Thomas is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and of the American Physical Society. She has been an American Physical Society Congressional Science Fellow, a Member of the U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board, and a Member of the USDA/DOE Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee.
Before coming to Georgia Tech, she worked at Princeton University and at Carnegie Mellon University.
Research
Professor Thomas's research interests are energy and materials efficiency, sustainability, industrial ecology, technology assessment, international security, and science and technology policy. Professor Thomas' current research projects include analysis of critical mineral production opportunities, production of chemicals and fuels from biomass, freight transportation systems, and hydrogen technology development.
Teaching
Professor Thomas’ teaching interests include energy systems, engineering economics, and product and material supply chains. She instructs both undergraduate and graduate students in courses related to economic decisions for engineering, supply chains, energy technology and policy, and environmental impact accounting. Professor Thomas emphasizes rigorous quantitative reasoning and practical problem solving in her pedagogy, aiming to develop students’ analytical skills and their ability to apply quantitative methods to complex engineering and systems challenges.
Awards and Honors
- IISE Sustainable Development Excellence in Teaching Sustainability Award 2026
- Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science 2010
- Fellow of the American Physical Society 1999
Representative Publications
- Kim M., Thomas V. M., Montreuil B. The structure of infrastructure adoption: competition of hydrogen and electric for long-haul freight decarbonization. Applied Energy 426 C, 128734, December 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2026.128734
- Brown, M. A. and Thomas, V. M. Energy Technology and Policy Innovation. Springer Nature, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-07076-0
- D’Souza, S., Johnston J., Thomas, V. M., Harris K., Tan E. C. D., Chance R. R., Yuan Y. Integrating Direct Air Capture with Algal Biofuel Production to Reduce Cost, Energy, and GHG Emissions. J. CO2 Utilization 86, 102911, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcou.2024.102911
- Broesicke, O.A., Thomas, V. M., Grubert, E., Crittenden, J. C. Water consumption from absorption chillers is not negligible: water-for-cooling consumption of chiller systems for commercial buildings in the United States. Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments 67, 103827, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seta.2024.103827
- Azuero-Pedraza, C., Lauri, P., A. Lessa Derci Augustynczik, Thomas, V. M. Managing forests for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. Envir. Sci. Technol. 58, 21, 9175–9186, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c07163
- Chen, Y., Basciftci, B., Thomas, V. M. Chance-constrained multi-stage stochastic energy system expansion planning with demand satisfaction flexibility. International Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems, 155, Part A, Jan 2024, 109499. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijepes.2023.109499
- Can Şener, S.; Thomas, V. M.; Hogan, D.; Maier, R.; Carbajales-Dale, M.; Barton, M.; Karanfil, T.; Crittenden, J.; Amy, G. Recovery Potential of Critical Minerals and Metals from Aqueous Sources. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 9 (35): 11616–11634, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c03005