Thomas A.V. Cassel
Professor of Practice
Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM)
Honors and Awards: Provost's Award for Distinguished Teaching - 2007, Ford Motor Company Award for faculty advising - 2007, Robert Yarnall Award - 2005, S. Reid Warren Jr. Award - 2003
Research Expertise: Engineering Entrepreneurship | Engineering Economics
Tom's research interests are in the area of technology entrepreneurship. He is the Director of Penn's Engineering Entrepreneurship Program, which he initiated in 1999 following a 20-year career of entrepreneurial business leadership. He received a full professorship appointment in 2002. Prior to joining Penn's faculty, Tom was the co-founder and CEO of Reading Energy Holdings, Inc., a pioneer in the independent electric power industry. Under Tom's leadership, the company developed large-scale, waste-fueled power plants using cutting-edge combustion and environmental technologies. By the mid-1990's, the company had developed, owned and operated advanced power facilities having capital costs exceeding $600 million. Tom and his fellow management shareholders eventually sold their power plant assets to multinational corporations.
Affiliations: Director, Engineering Entrepreneurship Program
Education:
PhD 1979 - University of Pennsylvania; MSc 1973 - University of Pennsylvania; BSc 1968 - University of Pennsylvania
Recent Publications 
- ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF 10,000 MWe OF GEOTHERMAL POWER BY 2000., Cassel, Thomas A.V. | Amundsen, Chris B., Electric Power Research Institute, Advanced Power Systems Division, (Report) EPRI AP, 1983
- NATIONAL OUTLOOK FOR GEOTHERMAL ELECTRIC POWER DEVELOPMENT., Cassel, Thomas A.V., Energy Technology: Proceedings of the Energy Technology Conference, 1982
- GEOTHERMAL ELECTRIC POWER FORECAST IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE IMPACT OF R&D ADVANCEMENTS: 1982-2000., Cassel, T.A.V. | Shimamoto, G.T. | Amundsen, C.B. | Blair, P.D., Transactions - Geothermal Resources Council, 1982
- National outlook for geothermal electric power development., Cassel, T.A.V., , 1982
- ECONOMICS OF OPTIMAL GEOTHERMAL-RESOURCE EXTRACTION FOR ELECTRIC POWER., Blair, P. | Cassel, T.A.V. | Edelstein, R.H. | Paik, I., Energy Systems and Policy, 1980