 During his tenure at American, Thurber served as the principal investigator of a seven-year study of campaign conduct supported by a Pew Charitable Trusts grant and as principal investigator of a four-year study analyzing lobbying and ethics for the Committee for Economic Development, and is working on international lobbying and ethics reform with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.He founded the biannual Campaign Management Institute, the Public Affairs and Advocacy Institute, and annual European Public Affairs and Advocacy Institute in Brussels.He was worked for several members of the U.S. Congress on congressional reorganization, ethics, and lobbying reform since 1976.