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Michael A. Thomas
Assistant Professor, Evolutionary Genomics Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University E-mail: mthomas@isu.edu Phone: 208-282-2396 Office & Wet Lab: 256 Gale Life Sciences Building Bioinformatics Lab: 244 Gale Life Sciences Building
I joined the Department of Biological Sciences at ISU in July 2003. My interests lie in understanding evolutionary change from the perspective of genomics and molecular evolutionary genetics. I have a wet lab designed for experiments in molecular evolution to validate computational research findings, and a computer lab that includes an Apple Xserve cluster running a full complement of computational genomics applications.
My dissertation research (Penn State) examined macroevolutionary shifts: larval feeding habits of the Tephritoidea (Diptera) and the evolution of flight in the Plecoptera. My goal was to test hypotheses regarding the tempo and mode of these shifts, to determine if they happened in a gradual, step-wise fashion or were saltatory. Since then, I have conducted biomedical research involving disease gene discovery and expression profiling, and used these resources to begin investigations on evolutionary change involving human genes, using these as a model to study evolutionary phenomena.
Areas of research and education that I pursue at Idaho State:
- The primary aim of my lab is to examine the interacting roles played by alternative splicing, RNA editing and other genome processes in the evolution of proteome complexity. We do this by identifying genes, or parts of genes, that have experienced adaptive evolution, using the human genome as a model. This allows us to ask fundamental questions about how relatively few genes generate enormous proteome complexity, and questions that provide insights into how the genome evolves (How does natural selection sort out mutations that affect multiple splicing isoforms?).
- We are also examining the human health implications of these genome processes by looking at specific mutations involved in human disorders (using simple, Mendelian disorders involving ion channels as a model). These disorders are placed into a genome context by examining the suite of polymorphism found in encompassing human haplotype blocks. This project is led by Ph.D. student Pete Hallock.
- Other lab projects involve the genetics of west nile virus susceptibility (led by D.A. student Kelsey Metzger) and new approaches to the study of microbial metagenomes (led by Ph.D. student Mitch Day).
At the graduate level, I teach Bioinformatics and Molecular Evolution & Phylogenetics. At the undergraduate level, I teach Organic Evolution and Senior Seminar. With students in the DA program and collaborators at Biological Sciences Curriculum Studies (BSCS, Colorado Springs), I am developing introductory biology instructional material that uses bioinformatics applications to help students learn about fundamental biological (and scientific) principles and approaches.
I am interested in working with undergraduate students who would like to gain experience in these areas.