Barrett Thomas is an assistant professor in the Department of Management Sciences at the University of Iowa. His areas of expertise are logistics, vehicle routing, dynamic programming, and heuristic search. Dr. Thomas received a B.A. in mathematics/economics (with honors) from Grinnell College and holds a M.S. and Ph.D. in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan. Dr. Thomas' academic honors include a Trustee Scholarship at Grinnell College, 1993-1997; a Hewlett Overseas Internship Grant at Grinnell College, 1995; a Graduate Assistantship in Areas of National Needs Fellowship, 1999-2002; and a Rackham Fellowship at University of Michigan, 1997-2002. He was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in 1997.

In addition to his position at the University of Iowa, Dr. Thomas is active in his field as a speaker, researcher, and as an editor and referee for peer-reviewed journals.