Curriculum vitae
THOMAS SULLIVAN
Department of Geography
University of Montana
Missoula, Montana 59812
Phone: 406-396-7229
Email: thomas.sullivan@mso.umt.edu
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, 2010
M.A., Geography, University of Montana, 1995
B.S., Civil Engineering, Montana State University, 1987
PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS/EMPLOYMENT
2010-present. University of Montana, Department of Geography, Visiting Assistant Professor
PUBLICATIONS
Refereed Journal Articles
2016 (forthcoming). Sullivan, Thomas and Christopher Livingston. “Round and Round We Go!”:
American Political Practice, Social Behavior, and the Roundabout. Mobilities.
2015 (in press). Sullivan, Thomas. “It’s Hip to be Irish”: Ethnicity and Bourdieu’s Forms of Capital.
Ethnic and Racial Studies.
2015. Sullivan, Thomas. Ethnicity. In Oxford Bibliographies in Geography. Edited by Barney Warf. New
York: Oxford University Press.
2012. Sullivan, Thomas “I Want to be All I Can Irish”: The Role of Performance and Performativity
in the Construction of Ethnicity. Social and Cultural Geography 13(5): 429-444.
2006. Sluyter, Andrew, Andrew Augustine, Michael Bitton, Thomas Sullivan, and Fei Wei. The
Recent Intellectual Structure of Geography. Geographical Review 96(4): 594-608.
Manuscripts in Submission
Sullivan, Thomas. Performativity in Planning: A Case for Sustainability in Black Rock City, Nevada.
Planning Theory.
Manuscripts in Preparation
Sullivan, Thomas. Reversing the “Culture of Speed”: Roundabouts as Tools of the “Slow Streets”
Movement. Journal of Transport Geography.
Sullivan, Thomas. Sustainable Planning and Practices in Communities of the Mountain West. Journal
of the American Planning Association.
Sullivan, Thomas. “It’s ALL About the Bike”: Active Transport, Performative Practice, and the
Burning Man Festival. Progress in Planning.
Sullivan, Thomas. “Welcome to Fabulous Black Rock City, Nevada!”: Urban Planning and the
“Promise” of Sustainable Living at Black Rock City. Space and Culture.
Sullivan, Thomas. Who Rules at the Traffic Light?: Equalizing the Public Space of the Intersection.
Journal of Urban Studies.
Sullivan, Thomas. Modernity, Sustainability, and the Role of the Engineer in the Design of Urban
Space. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space.
Other Publications
2016 (in press). Sullivan, Thomas. Black Rock City: The “Greenest” Metropolis in the American
West. Planning: The Magazine of the American Planning Association. February Edition.
2016 (forthcoming). Sullivan, Thomas. Eurovelo’s Food and W(Rh)ine Route. Adventure Cyclist.
Winter 2015/2016.
2015. Sullivan, Thomas. The Montana Irish Renaissance. Distinctly Montana Magazine Spring Issue:
42-43.
2014. Sullivan, Thomas. Wheels on the Ground—EuroVelo. Adventure Cyclist 41(9): 30-33.
2014. Sullivan, Thomas. Cycling the Rivers: On Marriage and Long-Distance Biking. Idaho Magazine
13(8): 12-18.
GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS
2006-2007. Special Assistant to the Graduate Director, Louisiana State University, Department of
Geography and Anthropology
2006. West Russell Grant, Louisiana State University, Department of Geography and Anthropology
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INVITED TALKS
2016 (forthcoming). Session organizer and presenter. “Sustainable Planning in Mountain
Communities.” American Planning Association National Conference, Phoenix, Arizona
2014. “Roundabouts: An Equalizer of Public Space.” Bike/Walk Montana Annual Summit, Billings,
Montana
2014. “Black Rock City: The Greenest Metropolis in the American West.” United States Green
Building Council Annual Summit, Big Sky, Montana
2013. “The Burning Man: The Performative Space of the Black Rock Desert.” College of Arts and
Architecture Symposium—A Critical Rediscovery of the Northern Rockies, Montana State
University, Bozeman, Montana
2013. “Engineering and Sustainability.” Western Transportation Institute and the Department of
Civil Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana
2012. “Sustainable Design Practices and Alternative Transportation.” Western Transportation
Institute and the Department of Civil Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana
2011. “‘Why Can’t We Just Get Along?’: A Collaborative Forum in Sustainable Urban
Transportation Design and Planning.” Senior Design Seminar/Capstone in the Department of Civil
Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana
2010. “Embodied Irish Space: Performativity and Ethnicity.” Honors Seminar—Exploring Real and
Imagined Spaces, Departments of Architecture and Literature, Montana State University, Bozeman,
Montana
CONFERENCE ACTIVITY/PARTICIPATION
Panels/Sessions Organized
2010. Organizer. Paper Session—Migration, Transnationalism, and Westernization—Association of
American Geographers Annual Meeting (April 14-18), Washington, DC
2009. Panelist. ASUM Sustainability Center Earth Week—Water Symposium and Take Back the Tap
Campaign, University of Montana (November 12), Missoula, Montana
2006. Seminar and Speaking Engagement Organizer. Presenter - Dr. Catherine Nash, Department of
Geography, Queen Mary, University of London—Louisiana State University, Department of
Geography and Anthropology (September 29), Baton Rouge, Louisiana
2006. Organizer. Paper Session—Setting the Stage: Performance and Geography—Association of
American Geographers Annual Meeting (March 7-11), Chicago, Illinois
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Papers Presented
2013. ‘“Round and Round We Go!’: American Political Ideology, Social Behavior, and the
Roundabout.” Spaces and Flows: Fourth International Conference on Urban and ExtraUrban
Studies (November 22-23), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2010. “The Unseen Green: Imagined Geographies of the Irish Diaspora.” Association of American
Geographers Annual Meeting (April 14-18), Washington, DC
2009. “Romancing the Blarney Stone: Constructing Ethnicity among Irish Language Enthusiasts.”
Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting (March 22-27), Las Vegas, Nevada
2007. “Long Day’s Journey into Night: Exploring the Irish American Connection to Place through
Literature.” Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting (April 17-21), San Francisco,
California
2006. “Lucky to be Irish: Performing Identity through Language.” Association of American
Geographers Annual Meeting (March 7-11), Chicago, Illinois
2005. “The Celtic Identity Revival and the Spread of the Irish Language in North America.”
Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting (April 5-9), Denver, Colorado
CAMPUS OR DEPARTMENTAL TALKS
2015. Graduate Colloquium Presentation. “Reversing the ‘Culture of Speed’: Roundabouts as
Tools of the ‘Slow Streets’ Movement.” University of Montana, Department of Geography,
Missoula, Montana
2012. Graduate Colloquium Presentation. “The Burning Man: The Performative Space of the Black
Rock Desert.” University of Montana, Department of Geography, Missoula, Montana
2010. Graduate Colloquium Presentation. “Fear and Loathing in Haiti: The Politics of Place in a
Desperate Place.” University of Montana, Department of Geography, Missoula, Montana
2010. International Week Presentation. “Flight to Crisis Mission to Haiti: Observations on the Past
and Future of a Devastated Country.” University of Montana, Missoula, Montana
2009. Graduate Colloquium Presentation. “Designing Irishness: Ethnicity, Belonging, and Imagined
Connection to Place through Language.” University of Montana, Department of Geography
2006. Graduate Colloquium Presentation. “Landscape and Heritage: The Melding of Geography and
Imagination.” University of Montana, Department of Geography
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TEACHING EXPERIENCE
University of Montana
Planning
Sustainable Cities (1 semester); Planning Principles and Processes (2 semesters); Environmental
Hazards and Planning (1 semester); Human Role and Environmental Change (Active/Sustainable
Transportation) (1 semester); Recreation Planning (1 semester)
Graduate-level Courses and Seminars
Graduate Seminar in Geographic Thought (3 semesters); Graduate Seminar in Space and Place (4
semesters); Graduate Research Methods (1 semester); Graduate Research Design (1 semester)
Human/Environment Interaction and Geographic Methods
Cultural (Geography) Ecology (2 semesters); The Human Role and Environmental Change (Urban
Geography) (1 semester); Cultural Ecology (2 semesters); Food and Famine (1 semester);
Geographic Field Techniques (6 semesters)
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Mapping
Principles of Digital Cartography and Laboratory (3 semesters); Thematic Cartography and GIS and
Laboratory (1 semester); Map and Air Photo Use and Interpretation (1 semester)
Introduction to Geography
Introduction to Physical Geography and Lab (6 semesters); Introduction to Human Geography (10
semesters); Geography of World Regions (5 semesters)
Louisiana State University
Introductory to Geography
Human Geography: Europe and the Americas (1 semester)
DEPARTMENT/UNIVERSITY/NATIONAL SERVICE
Department Service
2015-present. Undergraduate and Graduate Advising, Department of Geography, University of
Montana
2015-present. Interim Director, Physical Geography Laboratory, Department of Geography,
University of Montana
2010-present. Graduate Thesis and Dissertation Committee Member (16 total)—Departments of
Geography, Parks, Tourism and Recreational Management, Anthropology, Communication Studies,
and Poetry—University of Montana
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University Service
2011. Session Chair and Judge. Tenth Annual Graduate Student and Faculty Research
Conference, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana
2010. Session Chair and Judge. Ninth Annual Graduate Student and Faculty Research
Conference, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana
2005-2007. Coach. Montana Triathlon Club. National Champions, 2006
National Service
2015–present. Educational Testing Service (ETS) Rater/Reader in Human Geography for High
School AP Examinations, Cincinnati, Ohio
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT/OUTREACH
2015-present. Special Committee for the development of Roundabout Policy, Missoula
Development Services (Planning), Missoula, Montana
2013-present. Appointed Board Member. Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Board, Missoula
Development Services (Planning), Missoula, Montana
2011. Preliminary Judge. Montana CINE International Film Festival, Missoula, Montana
2010. Volunteer Structural Engineer. NOAH (National Organization for the Advancement of
Haitians), Port-au-Prince, Haiti
2000-2002. Director. Montana Irish Festival (An Rí Rá), Missoula and Butte, Montana
1998-2007. Founder, President, Irish Language Coordinator. Montana Gaelic Cultural Society,
Missoula, Montana
1998-2001. Board Member. Montana State University Statewide Advisory Board (Athletic
Scholarship Association), Bozeman, Montana
1996-1998. Chairperson. Montana State University Alumni Scholarship Committee (Northwest
Montana section), Bozeman, Montana
RELATED PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Fieldwork
Qualitative fieldwork: interviewing, participant observation, content analysis
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Quantitative fieldwork: social surveying; land surveying/wayfinding equipment—total station,
transit, theodolites, hand level, planimeter, clinometers, and Global Positioning System (GPS)
Software
General: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Adobe Creative Suite
(Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and Illustrator), NVivo 10.0 (Coding)
Engineering, Mapping, and Drafting: ArcGIS, AutoCAD, SketchUP, MathCad, Enercalc,
RISA
Education: Blackboard; Moodle; basics of web design and blogging
NON-ACADEMIC EMPLOYMENT
2014-present. Tour Leader. Adventure Cycling Association, Missoula, Montana
2006-2008. Anderrson-Woodrow Engineering, Marin County, California – Project Engineer
1998-2004. Eclipse Engineering, Inc., Missoula, Montana – Founder, President, Project Engineer
1991-1998. BCE Consulting Engineers, Inc., Missoula, Montana – Partner/Project Engineer
1990-1991. Atwood-Hinzman Consulting Engineers, Missoula, Montana – Structural Engineer
1988-1990. Keyes and Associates, Wethersfield, Connecticut - Bridge Engineer
1987-1988. Buck and Buck Engineers, Hartford, Connecticut – Civil Engineer
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS
Association of American Geographers (1989-present)
American Planning Association and the Sustainable Communities Division (2014-present)
Bike/Walk Montana (2013-present)
Adventure Cycling Association (2005-present)
Montana Gaelic Cultural Society (1998-present)
American Society of Civil Engineers (1987-2000)
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