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Thomas C Booth

Part-Time Lecturer of Industrial and Systems Engineering

Education

  • Doctoral Degree, Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University



Biography

In his early career, Dr. Booth worked at Bell Telephone Laboratories with work focused on improving transducer performance. Following his doctoral program, he joined Allison Engine Company where he developed a viscous 3D solution for designing the turbine end wall region in the presence of secondary flows. Subsequently at Garrett Gas Turbine Company he managed the turbine aerodynamics department in which his team developed several advanced turbines for small propulsion and APU engines. Transferring to Los Angeles, he was director of turbocharger engineering at the Garrett Automotive Products Company with a focus on developing advanced responsive turbochargers for passenger cars and commercial vehicles.


Moving back to aerospace, he led a team to develop an ISO compliant product development process, which was followed by leadership of the development of an engineering/project management/systems engineering assessment tool. He led sector-wide teams in auditing 20+ sites with this tool for several years.


Following retirement, he joined the Honeywell automotive sector in an industrial engineering capacity as Director of Balancing Processes, in which he applied advanced technical and quality techniques to work with international customer and shop-floor teams to improve performance and resolve quality issues. Teams and plants were in China, France, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Romania and the United States. He staffed and opened a balancing center of excellence in Bucharest.


Following a second retirement, he joined a start-up company (Advanced Turbine Designs) as director of engineering to develop a 5 kW gas turbine engine coupled to an advanced motor generator.

Research Summary

Dissertation topic: Steady Streaming Around an Oscillating Sphere
Small gas turbine engine development and performance
Flexible shaft balancing
Quality system performance
Project and program team performance

Appointments
  • Daniel J Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Office
  • GER 240
  • Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center
  • 3715 McClintock Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90089
  • USC Mail Code: 0193
Contact Information
  • (213) 740-4893
  • tbooth@usc.edu
Links