Rate My Professor Andrew Thomas

Andrew P. Thomas, Ph.D., serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and as Senior Associate Dean of the School of Graduate Studies at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. He earned a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Biochemistry in 1978 and a Ph.D. in 1981, both from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. His laboratory investigates calcium-dependent signal transduction mechanisms, with emphasis on inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors, ryanodine receptors, and the generation of cytosolic calcium oscillations and waves in non-excitable cells. Additional work examines excitation-contraction coupling in cardiac muscle, mitochondrial calcium signaling, and cellular responses to ischemic injury and alcohol exposure.

Thomas has contributed key publications on these topics, including studies on IP3 receptor inactivation published in Nature in 1994 and on mitochondrial decoding of calcium oscillations published in Cell in 1995. He was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in recognition of his distinguished contributions to understanding the role of calcium in cell signaling. His research employs techniques such as digital imaging fluorescence microscopy, patch-clamp electrophysiology, and laser scanning confocal microscopy. Thomas maintains an active role in graduate education and administration at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.