Tom LaTourrette is a senior physical scientist and interim director of the Community Health and Environmental Policy program at the RAND Corporation. He has over 20 years of experience in a wide range of topics related to energy, infrastructure, and public safety policy. His research covers alternative transportation fuels and vehicles; managing spent nuclear fuel; renewable and fossil energy resources; risks and mitigation to infrastructure related to sea level rise, wildfires, earthquakes, and terrorism; safety evaluation, technology, and regulation for emergency response; mining, petroleum refining, fire protection, and the military; disaster insurance; and risk modeling and technology deployment for terrorism mitigation. LaTourrette has testified before the Secretary of Energy's Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future, was a member of the Government Accountability Office's Yucca Mountain Alternative Uses expert panel, FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program Reform academic expert panel, and the California Little Hoover Commission's advisory panel for Safeguarding the State: Preparing for Catastrophic Events. He holds a Ph.D. in geology from the California Institute of Technology.
Selected Publications
Tom LaTourrette, Defining Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices for Process Safety Management, RAND (RR-A1866-1), 2022 (forthcoming)
Miller B, LaTourrette T, Warren D, and Metz D, The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Impact on Fire Safety Standards, RAND (RR-A1100-1), 2021
LaTourrette T, Miller B, Ulin T, Van Abel K, Langeland, KS, Nanda N, Puerto Rico After Hurricane Maria: Prestorm Challenges, Hurricane Damage, and Suggested Courses of Action for Recovery, RAND (RR-2606-DHS), 2020
Preston BL, LaTourrette T, Broyles JR, Briggs RJ, Catt D, Nelson C, Ringel JS, Waxman DA, Updating the Costs of Compliance for California's Hospital Seismic Safety Standards, RAND (RR-3059-CHA), 2019
LaTourrette T, Lauland A, Fischbach J, Berg N, Stelzner C, Assessing Vulnerability and Improving Resilience of Critical Emergency Management Infrastructure in California in a Changing Climate, California Natural Resources Agency, 2018
Dixon LE, LaTourrette T, Galvan DA, Goldman CA, Kalra N, Nelson C, Tsang F, Steinberg PS, Lyons J, Bowers J, Katin R, Process and Outcome Evaluation of the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, RAND (RR-1948-CEC), 2017
Tom LaTourrette, "Risk factors for injury in law enforcement officer vehicle crashes," Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 38(3), 2015