Scott W. Tinker, PhD

Scott brings industry, government, academia, and nongovernmental organizations together to address major societal challenges in energy, the environment, and the economy. After 24 years as Director of the Bureau of Economic Geology and State Geologist of Texas, he became Director Emeritus in 2024. Scott is a professor holding the Allday Endowed Chair in the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin, and CEO of Tinker Energy Associates. Scott is founder and Chairman of the Switch Energy Alliance, whose educational materials appear from schools to board rooms globally, and with Director Harry Lynch co-produced the award-winning documentary films Switch and Switch On, which have been screened in over 50 countries. Scott is the executive producer and host of PBS Energy Switch, an energy and climate talk series appearing in over 100 million households nationwide, and host of Earth Date, featured weekly on over 460 public radio stations in all 50 states. In visits to some 60 countries, Scott has given over 1100 speeches and lectures, and presented a TEDx talk on The Dual Challenge: Energy and Environment. Dr. Tinker serves on public company boards and science councils, Trinity University's Board of Trustees, and is an angel investor. He's widely published, has served as president of several international professional associations, and is an AGI Campbell Medalist, AAPG Halbouty Medalist, GCAGS Boyd Medalist, AIPG Parker Medalist, and a Geological Society of America Fellow.