Thomas Petersen
Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Education
- Doctoral Degree, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Master's Degree, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Bachelor's Degree, North Carolina State University
Biography
Dr. Petersen started working as an Assistant Professor in the Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in Fall 2022. Prior to arriving at the University of Southern California, he spent three years as a Senior Research Engineer at ExxonMobil, where he developed technologies to improve the integrity of wells during construction and operation. Specifically, he worked on composite fluid and solid systems that reduce pressure and stress developments in confined, high-temperature, and high-pressure environments. Before his research experience in industry, he obtained his Ph.D. (2019) on Mechanics of Materials and S.M. (2015) in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received his B.S. (2011) in Civil Engineering with a Minor in Mathematics from North Carolina State University.Research Summary
Prof. Petersen's research connects electrochemistry to the fluid and solid mechanics of porous media, investigating systems central to civil and environmental engineering including cementitious materials, subsurface minerals, and polymeric membranes. His group develops thermodynamically consistent models grounded in classical density functional theory (cDFT) and phase-field methods, which capture how molecular-scale electrolyte structure governs macroscale transport properties and solid mechanics. These theoretical tools are validated through bench-scale experiments using microfluidics, widefield fluorescent microscopy, and rheology. Applications span engineered membranes for desalination and energy harvesting, multifunctional cement composites with structural and electrical capabilities, and electrokinetic flow control in nanochannels.
Appointments
Social Media
- Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
- KAP 230C
- Kaprielian Hall
- 3620 South Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90089
- thomasp3@usc.edu