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Bachelor of Arts in Biology, Harvard University (98)
Master of Arts in Biology, Harvard University (98)
Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Sciences in Public Health, Harvard University (04)
I am a molecular/cellular biologist and involve students in authentic research experiences both in and outside of class. I implement several course-based undergraduate research projects such as Tiny Earth (antibiotic discovery), Yeast ORFan Gene Project (characterization of yeast genes), DNA Barcoding and Metabarcoding. Providing opportunities for students to do biology research is at the core of my research endeavors and so also supervise students doing a range of independent research projects. Some examples are using model organisms to answer biological questions and research on genes/genomes from environmental sources that we get from other scientists or collect ourselves. While I do initiate project direction, I especially love to work with students to incorporate their ideas from the course-based research and/or their own interests as we develop research projects.
Additionally, I do Biology Education research to advance the learning and teaching of science but also have done some work in faith/science integration.
Psalm 19 says “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth his handiwork.” God’s creation, the how of life that we biologists get to study, points us back to Him prompting the response of wonder, awe and worship.
Thomas, A. (2022). Using the ACE-Bio Competencies Resource as a Course Planning Tool to Guide Students in Independent Research. In: Pelaez, N.J., Gardner, S.M., Anderson, T.R. (eds) Trends in Teaching Experimentation in the Life Sciences. Contributions from Biology Education Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-98592-9_6
HITS Fellow (High-Throughput Discovery Science & Inquiry-based Case Studies for Today’s Students, 2021-2022)
ENCOUR Fellow (Ethics Network for Course Based Opportunities in Undergraduate Research, 2021-2022)
Furrow RE, Price RM, Thomas A, Yin Y, Bernot KM. 2020. Vitamin C for colds? Writing LETTERS to synthesize and communicate results from multiple studies. CourseSource. https:// doi.org/10.24918/cs.2020.8
Gaudier-Diaz MM, Parekh SV, Penton RE, Robertson SD, Thomas A. Sleepy Mice Case Study: Implementation and Assessment. J Undergrad Neurosci Educ. 2023 May 19;21(2):A108-A116. doi: 10.59390/RHSN3470. PMID:
SCIO Visiting Scholar in Science and Religion (2015-2016) for the project, Oxford Interdisciplinary Seminars in Science and Religion: Bridging the Two Cultures of Science and the Humanities, organized by Scholarship and Christianity in Oxford with funding from Templeton Religion Trust
