thanos-bourtsalas

Athanasios Bourtsalas

Lecturer in the Discipline of Sustainable Development and Circular Economy

Thanos Bourtsalas investigates ways and technologies for managing impacts associated with anthropogenic activities and advancing sustainable development and the circular economy.

His work has been both experimental and analytical and, in this area, he has been recognized as a specialist by the UN, the IFC/World Bank, and the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment of Singapore.

His projects focus on system-level technoeconomic and life cycle assessment with emphasis on identifying the intersections between systems capabilities, economics, environment, and regulations, and their position within the local, regional, and global landscape. One of his objectives has been on understanding and improving the performance of systems and engineering clean cycles and safe final sinks by implementing innovation to emerging technologies and evaluating whether these are commercially viable (or what is needed to make these solutions successful). Also, a lot of emphasis is on developing tools to support resource efficiency and rational decision-making about the use of technologies for sustainable development and the circular economy.

International collaborations and interactions with major stakeholders engaged with sustainable development, are a significant part of his work through the global network of the Global WTERT Council (GWC), which he has represented as a Vice President in several activities worldwide, such as China, India, Indonesia, Chile, and Colombia. As part of his work with the GWC, he has conducted due diligence studies for emerging technologies, has advised the investment strategies of both private and public entities, and has developed valuation models for waste management deals.

He received his five-year Diploma in Electrical and Computer Engineering, from the University of Patras, Greece, and his MSc from the Earth & Environmental Engineering Department of Columbia University. He undertook his PhD studies in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial College London.

Additional Information

  • Research Areas
    • Carbon Management, Capture, Storage, Utilization, and Conversion
    • Climate Science and Engineering
    • Energy, Mineral, and Materials
    • Environmental Systems Analysis
    • Industrial Ecology
    • Solid and Hazardous Waste Management
    • Sustainable Engineering and Design
    • Sustainable Production of Earth Mineral and Metal Resources
    • Zero/Low-Carbon Energy Resources
    • Carbon Capture and Storage Technology
    • Circular Economy
    • Climate Data Science (Environmental Data Science)
    • Climate Modeling and Prediction
    • Energy Systems
    • Sustainable Energy Systems
    • Sustainable Materials
    • Sustainable Resource Recovery (Sustainable Mining)
    • Urban Mining
  • Professional Experience
    • Instructor, Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University, 2019-
    • Advisor, United Nations Economic and Social Council: PPP Centre of Excellence, 2017-
    • Vice President, Global WTERT Council, 2015-
    • Advisor, United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), 2020-2021
    • Advisor, World Bank, 2018-2020
    • Adjunct Assistant Professor, Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University, 2015-2019
    • Advisor, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Singapore, 2014-2017
  • Professional Affiliations
    • Registered (Licensed/Chartered) Professional Electrical Engineer in Europe
    • Member of the International Society for Industrial Ecology
    • Member of the Working Group on Energy Recovery-International Solid Waste Association (ISWA)
    • Vice Chair of the Materials and Energy Division of the American Society for Mechanical Engineers (ASME-MER)
       
  • Honors & Awards
    • 2022 Nominated for the 2022 Presidential Awards for Outstanding Teaching
    • 2022 Nominated for the Bodossakis Foundation Distinguished Young Scientists Award
    • 2015 PhD early submission award, Imperial College London, UK
    • 2014 CIWM Resource Efficiency Prize for best paper and oral presentation
    • 2011-2014 Dixon Presidential Scholarship, Imperial College London, UK
    • 2008-2010 Full graduate scholarship: Brookhaven National Laboratory, USA
    • 2001-2006 Faculty of Engineering Dean’s Honor List Every Single Academic Term
  • Education
    • PhD, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London
    • MS, Earth Resources Engineering, Columbia University
    • BS, MEng (5-year diploma), Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Patras
    • Credential of Readiness, Harvard Business School