Valerie Thomas

Photo of Valerie Thomas Valerie Thomas is the Anderson Interface Associate Professor in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech, with a joint appointment in the School of Public Policy, and an adjunct appointment in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Her research is in Industrial Ecology, with emphasis on the environmental impacts of materials and products. Current research includes environmental impacts of biofuels, the potential for renewable energy in Georgia, sustainability in Atlanta, environmental implications of second-hand markets, use of barcodes, RFID, and electronics for lifecycle tracking of products and wastes, and energy efficiency in freight transportation.  Past research includes development of a research agenda for reinventing the use of materials, one of the eight Grand Challenges of Environmental Science identifed by the US National Research Council.

Thomas has a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Cornell University and a B.A. in physics from Swarthmore College. She is a Member of the US EPA Science Advisory Board, a Member of the Panel on Public Affairs of the American Physical Society, and was Chair of the 2006 Gordon Research Conference on Industrial Ecology, which was held at Queens College, Oxford UK, from August 6-11, 2006.

In 2004-2005 she was the American Physical Society Congressional Science Fellow, during which time she worked in the legislative office of Representative Rush Holt on science policy issues including energy policy legislation and legislation to re-establish a technology assessment capacity in the U.S. Congress. She also managed the Congressional R&D Caucus and the Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus for Rep. Holt.

From 1989 to 2004, Thomas was a Research Scientist and Lecturer at Princeton University. From 1987 to 1999 she was a Research Fellow in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University.

Press

Environmentally-Friendly Laptops - inteview on ABC's Money Matters, July 25, 2007. (And here's the EPEAT web site I mention: www.epeat.net)

Blueprint for a Green Laptop - article in Popular Science, July 2007.

Selected Publications

Courses           energy class photo

    Energy Technology and Policy class at the solar power arrays on the roof of the Campus Recreation Center.
                                       

Thomas Group Page


Office: Groseclose, Room 415
Phone: (404) 385-7254
Fax: 404-894-0390
E-mail: valerie.thomas at isye.gatech.edu

ISyE Profile: http://www.isye.gatech.edu/faculty-staff/profile.php?entry=vt34