Andy Thomas in currently the Vice President of Research & Development at CoorsTek. Headquartered in Golden, CO, CoorsTek is a leading global engineered ceramics manufacturer with over 20 manufacturing facilities spread across North America, Asia and Europe. In this role, Andy has global responsibility for the coordination of technology development projects at CoorsTek’s three corporate Research and Development sites located in Golden, CO, USA; Hadano, Japan; and Uden, The Netherlands. Additionally, Andy spent 10 years at Bell Helicopter, performing research on new materials and helicopter structures. As Manager of Technology Programs, Andy was responsible for technology scouting at universities and small businesses, and led a team of researchers who developed technology through a mix of independent and Government-funded research programs. Andy received his BS degree in Materials Science and Engineering from North Carolina State University in 1990 and his MS and PhD degrees from The University of Texas at Austin in 1992 and 1994, respectively. Andy and his wife, Jennifer, moved to Colorado in 2015 and have two grown children. In his free time, Andy enjoys gardening and learning about other cultures through international travel.