Evan Thomas

Evan Thomas is a Professor in the Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering Department at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he serves as Director of the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering & Resilience. His work bridges environmental engineering with global development, focusing on water security, sanitation systems, and climate resilience across diverse contexts from rural communities in Africa to watersheds in the American West.

Thomas's research spans environmental engineering, water resources management, and global development. His work emphasizes practical, technology-driven solutions for water security challenges, with particular focus on sensor-based monitoring systems, nature-based water quality solutions, and innovative financing mechanisms like carbon markets to address water infrastructure needs. He investigates how digital tools and behavioral economics can improve groundwater conservation and sanitation intervention effectiveness, while also examining the intersection of climate change, wildfire impacts, and water quality.

Analysis of Thomas's recent publications reveals a strong trend toward integrating technological innovation with climate finance mechanisms to address water security challenges. His work increasingly focuses on carbon markets as a potential funding source for water infrastructure, examining how voluntary carbon markets can support water resilience in major river basins and accelerate green infrastructure implementation. There's also significant emphasis on improving monitoring and verification technologies to support these financial mechanisms and ensure accountability in water security programs.

As Director of the Mortenson Center, Thomas leads initiatives that combine education, research, and partnerships to improve access to safe water, sanitation, energy, food, shelter, and infrastructure worldwide. The Center's work includes projects monitoring water supplies for millions of people in arid regions of Kenya and Ethiopia, developing frameworks for global engineering education, and creating technologies to support drought resilience and water security.