Dr. Deborah S.K. Thomas

Deborah S.K. Thomas, PhD is the Associate Vice Chancellor of Research and Professor of Geography at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In this role, she oversees operations and special initiatives for research and innovation across the university. Her research focuses on disasters and environmental health with more than 25 years of experience in the social science application of geographic information science & technology (GIS&T). She was a Fulbright Scholar to Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey in 2005, and continues to work in global environmental health in Tanzania as part of a 15-year partnership with the Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences in Mwanza, Tanzania.

I specialize in hazards and health geography with more than 25 years of experience in the social science application of geographic information science & technology (GIS&T). My teaching & research interests focus on issues of vulnerability/resilience/equity as they relate to natural and human-induced hazards and public health, commonly emphasizing the role of technology, particularly GIS, in assessing and evaluating the intersection of human-physical systems and the built environment. Around these themes, I have taught many classes at all levels, mentored undergraduate, master’s and PhD students, published in numerous journals, and am co-editor of a book entitled Social Vulnerability to Disasters. In July 2020, I completed three years on the American Association of Geographers (AAG) National Council and was Treasurer and a member of the Executive Committee of the organization for the last two of those years. Along with US-based activities, I was a Fulbright Scholar to Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey in 2005. I continue to work in Tanzania as part of a 13-year partnership with the Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences in Mwanza, Tanzania.