Jeffrey J. Thomas

Jeffrey J. Thomas is a Principal Research Scientist at Schlumberger-Doll Research in Cambridge, MA.  He received a B.S. in Applied and Engineering Physics from Cornell University, and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University, where his thesis project focused on high-temperature ceramic processing.  After completing his PhD, he continued his career at Northwestern University, but switched fields to cement chemistry, working in the group of renowned cement expert Prof. Hamlin Jennings.  Over the next fifteen years, Dr. Thomas worked his way up to the position of Research Associate Professor, while developing a reputation as an expert on the nanostructure of cement hydration products, the kinetics of cement hydration, and the application of neutron scattering techniques to the study of cement.  He also taught undergraduate engineering courses in mechanics at Northwestern for ten years.  In 2010, he made the switch from academia to industry when he accepted his current position with Schlumberger, the world’s largest oilfield services company.  Oil and gas wells are sealed and stabilized with cement, and this cement must survive at the very high temperatures and pressures present deep under the earth’s surface.  Therefore, the field of oilwell cementing provides many interesting challenges for a cement specialist!  

Dr. Thomas has published more than 60 peer-reviewed scientific articles, mostly in the field of cement chemistry.  Several of these papers are quite highly cited and have made a significant impact on the field.  He has been active in the Cements Division of ACerS for twenty years, and he served as the Chair of this Division in 2005-2006.  He is a two-time recipient of the Brunauer Award, a yearly best-paper award given by the Cements Division.