Allen A. Thomas, Donald E. Fox Professor of Chemistry
Degrees
Ph.D., Organic Chemistry, May 2000
The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA
Advisor: K. Barry Sharpless, Ph.D., W.M. Keck Professor of Chemistry, Two-Time Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (2001 and 2022) and the 2019 ACS Priestley Medal Awardee
Dissertation: “I. Aminohydroxylation of Unsaturated Phosphonates: A Template for Molecular Diversity. II. Rapid Discoveries in Osmium (VIII) Catalysis Using Automation and Mass Spectrometry.”
M.S., Organic Chemistry, May 1994
Baylor University, Waco, TX
Advisor: Charles Garner, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry and Graduate Program Director
Thesis: “Toward Terpene-Derived C2-Chiral Cyclic Boranes and Auxiliaries and Metalation Studies of Endocyclic and Exocyclic Alkenes.”
B.S., Chemistry, ACS Certified, May 1992
Baylor University, Waco, TX
Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Highest Ranking Student in College of Arts and Sciences (GPA: 4.0/4.0)
Experience
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Professor (Aug 2023-)
Associate Professor (Aug 2018-Aug 2023)
Assistant Professor (Aug 2014-18)
Areas of Interest: Bio-organic and medicinal chemistry; designing drugs that target the central nervous system (CNS); brain cancer; adenosine signaling; membrane transporter proteins.
Community College of Denver
Chemistry Instructor (2013-14)
Array BioPharma (acquired by Pfizer), Boulder, CO
Medicinal Chemistry
Senior Research Investigator (2012-13)
Research Investigator (2006-12)
Senior Research Scientist (2003-06)
Research Scientist (2000-03)
Optimization of small molecule drug candidates in multiple therapeutic areas including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, pain, and inflammatory diseases. Collaborated within multidisciplinary teams to integrate data from in vitro and in vivo experiments to obtain an Erk inhibitor (GDC-0994, Ravoxertinib) for cancer that progressed to human clinical trials, and two compounds that advanced to pre-clinical toxicology studies (BACE/Alzheimer’s and Met/cancer). Highly skilled synthetic organic chemist having prepared thousands of compounds involving up to 14-step syntheses, including compounds with multiple chirality centers.
Management and mentoring of junior scientists, including written performance reviews and establishing semiannual goals. My associates were consistently outstanding contributors, and they were inventors and authors of multiple patents, presentations and publications.
Access Pharmaceuticals (now Abeona), Dallas, TX
Drug Delivery/Polymer Therapeutics
Scientist (1997-98)
Applied NMR and analytical chemistry techniques to determine the chemical structure of a cis-platinum conjugated polymer (ProLindac) that progressed to human clinical trials for cancer.
Awards, honors and media features
Awards and Honors
- UNK Sigma Xi “Chapter of Excellence” awarded by the national Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society, 2023
- Donald E. Fox Endowed Professorship (2022-2027)
- Pratt-Heins Foundation Award for Scholarship and Research, UNK, 2021
- Faculty Mentoring of Undergraduate Student Research Award, UNK College of Arts and Sciences, 2020
- UNK New Frontiers Award and magazine article for cancer research, 2019
- UNK Sigma Xi “Chapter of Excellence” awarded by the national Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society, 2018
- UNK Sigma Xi “Program of Excellence” awarded by the national Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society for “The Great American Solar Eclipse Panel Discussion”, 2017
Media Features
- IDeA EPSCoR Nebraska, 2022 Annual Report: “Making a Difference at Nebraska’s Small Colleges.” February 2023.
- Kearney Hub article: “UNK student’s research idea receives $395K in grant funding.” 23 September 2022.
- Kearney Hub article: “UNK junior Hannah Way selected for prestigious Posters on the Hill event.” 16 April 2020.
- IDeA EPSCoR Nebraska, 2017 Annual Report: “Small College, Big Horizons.” March 2018.
- NTV ABC Nebraska.TV article and interview: “UNK Science Research Honor Society Wins Prestigious Award for Solar Eclipse Panel.” 2 February 2018.
- NTV ABC Nebraska.TV article and interview: “Grant Allows UNK Professor to Work Toward Brain Disorder Treatments.” 8 October 2017.
- Kearney Hub article: “UNK’s Allen Thomas Gets $399K for Cancer Research.” 29 September 2017.
- Chemical & Engineering News article: “A Reaction Under Scrutiny.” 3 November 1997.
- Chemical & Engineering News article: “NMR Used to Determine Small Kinetic Isotope Effects.” 18 September 1995.
