Director General
Construction Research Centre
Thomas Ferguson is the Director General of the National Research Council of Canada’s (NRC) Construction Research Centre. He was appointed to the position in September 2023.
Thomas began his career at the NRC in 2016 as chief of staff to the President of the NRC. From 2018 to 2020, he worked as the director of the NRC’s National Program Office, where he established the initial framework and funding approach for the NRC’s Ideation Fund and Challenge programs. Prior to his current role, Thomas was the director of the Construction Research Centre’s Built Environment Regulations and Specifications unit. In this position, Thomas was responsible for secretarial services to the National Model Codes development system, in which he supported and participated in the transition to a new governance model, and oversaw the Canadian Construction Materials Centre as well as the Canadian National Master Construction Specification.
Prior to joining the NRC, Thomas worked in various roles in federal central agencies and at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), including as a science and technology policy advisor and ministerial liaison. Before joining the public service, Thomas designed mechanical systems in industry for car plants and office buildings.
Thomas holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering from Queen’s University, and a Masters of Applied Science in Civil/Environmental Engineering from the University of Toronto with a focus on life cycle assessment.