Jefferson Tester, PhD

Jefferson Tester is professor emeritus of Chemical Engineering at MIT and a leading authority on geothermal energy and environmentally responsible resource recovery. Tester earned his undergraduate degree before completing his Ph.D. in chemical engineering at MIT, where his fellowship began in 1967—and where he would spend the bulk of his career. His research has spanned supercritical water reactions, chemical kinetics in high-temperature and high-pressure systems, and the thermodynamics of geothermal reservoirs. He has been a central figure in multiple comprehensive assessments of Enhanced Geothermal Systems as a potential contributor to U.S. energy supply and chaired the MIT study The Future of Geothermal Energy (2006). His contributions to sustainable energy education and research have influenced both policy and engineering practice.