Senior Technical Advisor, Energy Issues
Texas General Land Office
Thomas Manuel (Tom) Ortiz began his career at Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1995 where he conducted thermodynamic equation of state experiments with hydrogen isotope separation systems. While pursuing his doctorate at Purdue University, he modeled the thermodynamic efficiency of solar and hydrogen powered cogeneration plants. Tom then developed software to simulate the performance of supercritical carbon dioxide as a net zero refrigerant substitute for residential heat pumps. After completing his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering in 2002, Tom worked in the energy industry for 15 years, including as a developer of Exxon Mobil's petroleum reservoir simulator and as a digital oilfield product manager at Halliburton.
Tom also holds six US and European patents on energy technologies as well as an MBA in finance from Texas A&M University. He has been a state government employee since 2016 where he currently serves as a senior technical advisor on energy issues at the Texas General Land Office.
