Sean Thimons is a Physical Scientist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, focusing on chemical risk assessment for oil and gas wastewater, industrial wastewater, and water reuse. His research aims to enhance wastewater characterization for reuse, prioritize emerging wastewater compounds, and develop rapid chemical risk evaluation methods using high-throughput data.
Thimons holds an M.S. in Water Resources, Science & Technology from Texas A&M University – San Antonio, where his thesis explored advanced treatment methods for hypersaline brines and oil/gas waste streams.
Thimons’ projects include supporting the EPA’s Strategic Research Action Plans (StRAP), focusing on risk characterization for water reuse, data curation for chemical safety, and technical assistance for drinking water projects. He has developed applications for lead service-line inventory validation and site prioritization for water quality analysis. His work with the New Mexico Produced Water Research Consortium involves developing risk-based workflows for assessing treated produced water for reuse.
His technical contributions extend to tools like the CompTox Chemistry Dashboard, Cheminformatics Toolbox, and ECOTOX Knowledgebase, enhancing analysis capabilities for thousands of compounds.
He also volunteers as a data scientist for a volunteer-research group focused on reducing homelessness utilizing machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Education
- 2021, M.S., Water Resources, Science & Technology, Texas A&M University – San Antonio
- 2019, B.S., Biology, Texas A&M University – San Antonio
Selected Work Experience
Present - 2025: Physical Scientist, U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development, Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response
2021 - 2025: ORISE Research Fellow, U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development, Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response