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Home Department of Physics and Materials Science Alumni Spotlights David Thomas Biography

David Thomas — Alumni Spotlight

Mr. David Thomas

Biography

David Thomas is executive director of the MILO Institute. The MILO Institute is dedicated to making deep space missions affordable and accessible to universities and space agencies around the world. David has been involved in high impact programs throughout his career, as a scientist, team leader, entrepreneur, and executive.

Mr. David Thomas

In the last 24 months, David:

  • Led the MILO Institute, a public-private collaboration creating a new model for universities and space agencies around the world to develop and conduct deep space missions.
  • He designed and built Arizona’s largest mass vaccination site in six days, called “a model for the nation” by President Biden. David went on to lead operations and logistics for six sites in Arizona that administered 1.3 million doses in six months.
  • He developed the public deployment model for the COVID-19 test developed by ASU’s Biodesign Institute, with over half a million tests administered to the public.

David has more than 25 years of experience building sustainable science and technology organizations for the defense industry and academic institutions. Prior to his role as Executive Director at MILO, Thomas managed strategic programs for ASU and entrepreneurial programs for the defense sector. He is now focused on providing access to space science opportunities, building partnerships and capacity in connected ecosystems to maximize participation in solutions for planet Earth.

In his personal time, David supports programs designed to helping improve education outcomes for marginalized populations, believing that education empowers purpose and creates opportunities to impact communities.