Cristina Thomas '92 PhD

Cristina Urdaneta Thomas '92 PhD is an accomplished chemical engineering leader with over 35 years of experience in R&D across the oil, chemical, and materials industries. Holding a PhD in chemical engineering from UMass Amherst, she has excelled in high-performance computing, polymer science, product development, and organizational leadership.  

Cristina has driven innovation at MARAVEN, IBM, and 3M, implementing and commercializing cutting-edge solutions for industries ranging from oil and gas to traffic safety, and from industrial fasteners to worker safety, and has earned over 28 patents. At 3M, she held senior leadership roles in strategy, commercialization, knowledge management, R&D digital transformation and materials modeling. She recently completed her MBA at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, enhancing her leadership and financial management skills to more effectively advance nonprofit education initiatives. 

A recipient of multiple prestigious awards (the 2023 ACS Stanley C. Israel Award, 2019 AIChE Industry Leadership Award, and the 2019 Management AwarD), she is also an ACS, AIChE, and PMSE fellow, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). She is a bold and unwavering champion of the Chemical Engineering profession, recognizing that its practitioners are uniquely equipped to address society’s most urgent challenges, from resource scarcity and advanced materials to transformative solutions in healthcare, food, water, and energy.  

She is driven by a deep passion for STEM and a steadfast commitment to lifelong learning. Cristina serves on multiple nonprofit boards and committees (Project Scientist, ARCS Foundation, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Twin Cities, CACHE Corporation) and plays an active leadership role in professional society committees across the American Chemical Society (ACS), the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).  

She and her husband Scott have been steadfast supporters of UMass Amherst for many years, including establishing an endowed fund to support undergraduate chemical engineering students and contributing to UMass Amherst Foundation fundraising for Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science and Engineering graduate students. She enjoys traveling and cherishing moments with her family and dog.