UL Research Institutes (ULRI) welcomes Russell "Rusty" Thomas, Ph.D., as its new executive director and vice president of Chemical Insights, effective June 30, 2025. Thomas will lead this research institute, which is based in Marietta, GA, as it continues its dedicated, non-profit work of investigating environmental exposures and their impact on human health.

"Rusty brings a wealth of experience in toxicology and exposure science, two areas key to Chemical Insights' research," said Chris Cramer, Ph.D., Chief Research Officer for ULRI. "His leadership will help expand ULRI's scope and breadth of research and continue our mission of working for a safer world."

Thomas joins Chemical Insights from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) where he served as director of the Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure. Before joining the EPA, he performed bioinformatics and genomics research in the biotechnology sector and gained experience in high-throughput screening and in vitro assay development in the biopharma sector. He also worked as an investigator and a senior manager at a nonprofit research institute. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Tabor College and both his Master of Science in radioecology and health physics and Ph.D. in environmental health and toxicology from Colorado State University.

"As the new executive director of Chemical Insights, I see great opportunities to expand the organization's work to protect human health from chemical exposures," said Dr. Thomas. "The current research work is already making an impact and I am positive we can do even more to further the mission of the institute."

Chemical Insights is on the frontlines of research on emerging environmental health threats facing people and the planet today. Our work lets people around the world know what chemicals are in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the products we interact with every day. Our leadership role is to provide objective research and resulting knowledge for improved practices, innovative product design, and changes that enable safer products and healthier environments.