National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Inducts ChE Alumna Cristina Urdaneta Thomas
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The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has inducted Dr. Cristina Urdaneta Thomas – an alumna of the UMass Amherst Chemical Engineering (ChE) Department, retired Global R&D Services Leader at 3M and currently a Transformative R&D and STEM Leader – into its very exclusive membership ranks. The NAE says that, among its 2,000 peer-elected members and international members, are “some of the world's most accomplished engineers from the business, academic, and government sectors.” Thomas earned her PhD from the UMass ChE department and has been a tremendous supporter of the university for many years, including establishing an endowed fund to provide scholarship support to undergraduate chemical engineering students.
According to her bio on the Computer Aids for Chemical Engineering (CACHE) website, Thomas joined 3M in 1992 as a senior research engineer in the Life Sciences Sector Laboratory after completing undergraduate degrees in chemistry (Universidad del Zulia) and mathematics (Universidad Nacional Abierta) in Venezuela and her PhD in 1992 from UMass Amherst. Prior to 3M, she worked in the Venezuelan oil industry and at IBM in New York performing scientific engineering computations.
Initially, as CACHE explained, Thomas contributed to 3M’s new technology and product-development projects by applying and leading computational-materials modeling and commercializing products for pavement markings, windshield sealants, and window films and attachments (solar-control and safety), among others.
Later, Thomas had a variety of assignments, including as strategy manager, laboratory manager, and commercialization manager for the Traffic Safety and Security Division, and designs for Six Sigma Technical Black Belt in the former Building Safety Solutions Division. She was also a group leader of the Materials Modeling Group in the former Advanced Materials Technology Center.
CACHE added that, as a member of the 3M Senior Leadership Team, Thomas was a research and development director who managed Global and Corporate Knowledge Discovery and Analytics, Electronic Lab Environments/LIMS, Learning and Collaboration, and the R&D Data & Information Governance Centers of Expertise. Thomas also led various 3M R&D Science Encouragement Programs focusing on underrepresented populations and was active in 3M’s Women’s Leadership Forum.
Thomas has been recognized with the 2023 ACS Stanley C. Israel Regional Award for advancing diversity in the chemical sciences for the Great Lakes Region, the 2019 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Industry Leadership Award for pioneering computational-materials modeling in industry to launch innovative products, and AIChE also cited her for her steadfast support while “building bridges” with national laboratories and academia, and with the 2019 AIChE Management Division Award for substantial contribution to the management and leadership of engineers involved in the field of chemical engineering. She is an ACS fellow, an ACS PMSE fellow and an AIChE fellow.
The work of Thomas in the wider community has included serving in professional organizations (ACS and AIChE), in various science-encouragement programs, the Big Brothers/Sisters programs, in Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Twin Cities and on industrial board and relations teams at UMass, the University of Wisconsin, and the Center for Hierarchical Materials Design (CHiMaD). She is currently a member of the Advanced Scientific Computing Advisory Committee (ASCAC-DOE), and of the Advanced Energy Technologies Council at the Argonne National Laboratory.
Finally, according to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, in 2023 Thomas joined the board of Project Scientist, a non-profit organization that cultivates girls’ confidence in their abilities in science, technology, engineering, and math with after-school and summer programs. As the Business Journal explained, “Thomas has a passion for institutions that educate underrepresented students and women in science and engineering.” (March 2024).