Faculty Profile
Thomas Arnold
Professor of Biology; Walter E. Beach '56 Chair in Sustainability Studies (2003)
Contact Information
on sabbatical Fall 2025
Rector North Room 2303
717-245-1319
Bio
Dr. Arnold is a broadly-trained biochemist who studies natural products produced by marine organisms and terrestrial plants exposed to stress, including stress caused by changing climates, grazing, or infection. His research focuses on plant sugar metabolism and transport, polyphenolic metabolism, glucosinolate production, and the occurrence of natural epigenetic regulators which exhibit promising medical properties. He is especially interested in molecules synthesized by organisms living in coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and temperate forests. He has been awarded research grants from the National Science Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution, and NASA. His work has been published in a variety of journals, often with undergraduate co-authors. He has over 20 years of experience as a science educator and mentor of undergraduate researchers. He teaches courses in biochemistry and metabolism, physiology, and ecological physiology as well as climate science. He founded the Dickinson Global Scholar Study Abroad program, and led its first semester-long program in Brisbane, Australia. He has been awarded course innovation grants from the National Science Foundation, among others. Over one hundred students have been trained in his laboratory and through these research programs. Dr. Arnold is an avid SCUBA diver and enjoys spending time near saltwater, in Chesapeake Bay tidal marshes, and on small boats. He is an advocate for Alzheimer's disease research.
Education
- B.A., St. Mary's College of Maryland, 1993
- Ph.D., University of Delaware, 1998