Thomas P. Sheahen earned BS and PhD degrees in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During his 45-year career as a research physicist, predominantly in energy sciences, he worked for Bell Telephone Laboratories, the National Bureau of Standards, various research corporations, the U.S. Department of Energy, Argonne National Laboratory, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He was chosen as a Congressional Research Fellow by the American Physical Society, dealing with energy-related national legislation. Dr. Sheahen wrote the textbook Introduction to High-Temperature Superconductivity.

Dr. Sheahen, a lifelong Catholic, is director emeritus of the Institute for the Theological Encounter with Science and Technology, which focuses on demonstrating the compatibility of faith and science as paths toward knowledge.