Thomas Elliot is an environmental scientist from Aotearoa New Zealand living in Aalborg, Denmark. He specialises in coupled human-nature system dynamics modelling typically incorporating methods from industrial ecology, such as urban metabolism and LCA. Currently, he has a MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship focusing on social tipping points and how these can influence climate change mitigation, for which he is also a Visiting Scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany. In 2024 he was elected to the board of the Sustainable Urban Systems section of the ISIE. His recent side project is a science communication podcast Two Guys One Paper, which he co-founded with colleague and buddy Furqan Asif (https://open.spotify.com/show/4M36ZbkCW1BmJYfosIgUHN).
Thomas’ main research/work interest areas:
- System dynamics
- Life cycle assessment
- Ecological economics
- Ecosystem services
Thomas’ favorite cities and why:
- Lisbon - for the summer vibes
- Montreal - for its parks, green alleys, and craft beers
- Aalborg - for its bike paths and the beautiful Limfjord
- Auckland - for its vegan food options and for feeling like home
How did you get interested in cities research? What drew you to sustainability topics?
I got interested in cities while I was cycling through Asia and Europe from Singapore to London in 2016. On this bike tour I realised how much I enjoy cities when they're well-designed, with space for cyclists and pedestrians, with accessible green spaces, and friendly people.
Recent publications
- Elliot, T., M. Vigier, and A. Levasseur, Spatio-temporal metabolic rifts in urban construction material circularity. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 2024. 205: p. 107567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107567
- Meyer, F., T. Elliot, S. Craig, and B.P. Goldstein, The carbon footprint of future engineered wood construction in Montreal. Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability, 2024. 4(1): p. 015012. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2634-4505/ad2153