Thomas Taylor Eighmy is an American engineer and academic administrator serving as the sixth president of the

University of Texas at San Antonio The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is a public research university in San Antonio, Texas. With over 34,000 students across its four campuses spanning 758 acres, UTSA is the largest university in San Antonio and the eighth-largest by ...

Education

Eighmy graduated from

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

in 1980 with a

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in biology. He earned a

M.S. A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

in civil engineering in 1983 and a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in environmental engineering in 1986, both from the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, mo ...

Career

Eighmy served as the vice president for research at the University of New Hampshire from 2006 to 2009, when he took the same position at

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

. From 2012 to 2017, he served as the vice chancellor of research and engagement at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

. In that position, he helped establish the University of Tennessee's Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, a public–private partnership supported by the

United States Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and manages the research and development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the United Stat ...

. He also established the university's Office of Undergraduate Research. Eighmy was named the sole finalist for the presidency of UTSA in June 2017. His presidency began on September 1, 2017; the formal inauguration was on March 20, 2018. He also serves as a member of UTSA's faculty with appointments in the department of civil and environmental engineering, and the department of environmental science and ecology.

Research

Eighmy's research focuses on element speciation, environmental chemistry of leaching behavior, spectroscopic surface analysis, applied geochemistry, reactive barriers, reactive transport modeling, environmental microbiology, biofouling, biofilms, sustainability,

carbon sequestration Carbon sequestration is the process of storing carbon in a carbon pool. Carbon dioxide () is naturally captured from the atmosphere through biological, chemical, and physical processes. These changes can be accelerated through changes in land ...

, carbon cycling, and recycled materials.

Honors and awards

Eighmy is a fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

and the

National Academy of Inventors The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) is a US non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging inventors in academia, following the model of the National Academies of the United States. It was founded at the University of South Florida in 2010. ...

. He is a diplomate of the

American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists The American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES) is a society of professional engineers and scientists who have demonstrated special expertise in environmental engineering or science beyond that normally required for professio ...

. He holds a patent for a phosphate mineral-based reactive barrier containment system. He served as the chairman of the board of directors of the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation from 2015 to 2017. He serves on the boards of the

Coalition of Urban Serving Universities The Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (commonly referred to as USU) is a selective organization of 46 U.S. universities and 1 university medical center located in metropolitan areas. The USU member schools began formally meeting in 2005. Gove ...

Texas Biomedical Research Institute Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed), located in San Antonio, Texas, is an independent, non-profit biomedical research institution, specializing in genetics and in virology and immunology. Texas Biomed is funded by government and cor ...

, San Antonio Medical Foundation, World Affairs Council of San Antonio, United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County, Texas International Education Consortium and

Conference USA Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are l ...

. He is a member of the Council of Public University Presidents and Chancellors, the

Council on Competitiveness The Council on Competitiveness is an American non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. The Council’s goal is to increase the United States' economic competitiveness in the global marketplace. The Council also works to bring high-value ...

, and an advisory trustee of

Southwest Research Institute Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is an independent and nonprofit applied research and development (R&D) organization. Founded in 1947 by oil businessman Tom Slick, it provides contract research and develop ...

Personal life

Eighmy and his wife Peggy have one daughter, Hannah.

References

Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences alumni University of New Hampshire alumni University of Texas at San Antonio people Heads of universities and colleges in the United States Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-academic-administrator-stub