Evan Thomas

Evan Thomas is an Associate Professor at Portland State University and Oregon Health & Science University and Director of the SweetLab. Evan holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado at Boulder, is a registered Professional Engineer, and holds a Masters in Public Health from the Oregon Health and Science University.

Professor Thomas’ research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the World Bank, UNICEF, the United States Agency for International Development, the United Nations Foundation, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United Kingdom Department for International Development, the Gates Foundation, and others.

Professor Thomas was the Chief Operating Officer of DelAgua Health from 2012-2016. He was responsible for conceptualizing, designing and operating a $25 million-dollar public health intervention in Rwanda in partnership with the Government of Rwanda. Professor Thomas was a founding volunteer with Engineers Without Borders-USA in 2002, which led to co-founding Manna Energy Limited in 2007. Manna was acquired by DelAgua Health in 2013. In 2012, he founded SweetSense Inc.

Professor Thomas was previously an aerospace engineer at the NASA-Johnson Space Center, designing microgravity fluid management technologies and water recovery systems for the Space Shuttle, International Space Station, and future space exploration. In 2017, Professor Thomas was a finalist for the Canadian Astronaut selection, finishing among the top 12 candidates from nearly 4,000 applicants.