Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Chemistry, University of California, Davis, 2004
  • B.S., Environmental Chemistry, Northern Arizona University, 2000

Dr. Thomas has 27 years of global in-depth experience in environmental forensic chemistry, including extensive focus on contaminant fate and transport; data and statistical analysis; remedial design; and novel chemical analyses, including isotopic, spectroscopic, and bench-scale analytical methods. Her project experience has addressed a wide-range of contaminant chemistries, including (but not limited to) petroleum hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents, metallic and semi-metallic species, chemical weapons, munitions, pesticides, herbicides, polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Clients have included chemical manufacturing, oil and gas, Department of Defense, commercial and municipal landfills, mines and associated metal processing facilities, water and wastewater treatment plants, and a range of other municipal and commercial facilities.  She was also appointed to the governing board of the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries in 2024.

Dr. Thomas' applied chemical knowledge includes the application and interpretation of various geochemical, statistical, and fate-and-transport models. She regularly participates in project planning, sampling, and remedial design, providing project teams with a holistic view of the geochemical controls on contaminant migration and toxicity. She has worked at project sites both nationwide and internationally, interfacing and negotiating with federal, state, and municipal regulatory agencies across multiple districts.  She has served as a consulting and testifying expert on matters related to various contaminant chemistries, including lead, arsenic, PCBs, and PFAS.