Thomas Murphy

Advisory Board Member

Thomas Murphy is the Co-Director of Penn State’s Marcellus Center of Outreach and Research(MCOR). With 28 years of experience working with public officials, researchers, industry, government agencies, and landowners during his tenure with the Outreach branch of the University. His work has centered on educational consultation in natural resource development, with an emphasis specifically in natural gas exploration and related topics for the last nine years. He lectures globally on natural gas development from shale, the economics driving the process, and its broad impacts including landowner and surface issues, environmental aspects, evolving drilling technologies, critical infrastructure, workforce assessment and training, resource utilization, and financial considerations.

MCOR’s mission is to pursue science-based research and understanding for the many issues surrounding the development of shale energy in PA and around the world. This ranges from environmental risk mitigation strategy, to legal and regulatory implications of energy development in local communities. As part of MCOR’s outreach, examining the role of “social license”, and its many components, is a vital feature of the shale dialogue prior to, and during the energy development phase. In his role with MCOR, Tom provides leadership to a range of Penn State’s related Marcellus research activities and events. Mr. Murphy is a graduate of Penn State University.