Dr Steve Thomas PhD, FHEA, FRMS

Steve Thomas

Department of Cardiovascular Sciences
Associate Professor in Cardiovascular Sciences

Contact details

Email
s.thomas@bham.ac.uk
View my research portal
Address
Department of Cardiovascular Sciences
College of Medicine and Health
Institute of Biomedical Research
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Steve Thomas is an Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Sciences within Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Birmingham. He is the programme lead for the MRes Biomedical Research programme, Academic lead for the Microscopy Facility and the College lead for Research Infrastructure and facilities.

His main research interests centre around the formation and function of platelets and megakaryocytes and he applies advanced fluorescence microscopy to understanding how this impacts on thrombosis and haemostasis.

Qualifications

  • Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society
  • Fellow of Higher Education Academy
  • PhD Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Wolverhampton, 2001
  • BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences (Cell and Molecular Biology), University of Wolverhampton, 1997

Biography

Career History

  • 2021 Associate Professor in Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Birmingham
  • 2018 Senior Lecturer in Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Birmingham  
  • 2013 Lecturer in Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Birmingham
  • 2008 BHF Research Fellow, University of Birmingham
  • 2006 Postdoctoral Research Fellow with Professors Machesky and Watson, University of Birmingham
  • 2002 Postdoctoral Research Fellow with Professor Noni Franklin-Tong, University of Birmingham
  • 2000 Postdoctoral Research Fellow with Professor Jim Callow, University of Birmingham
  • 2000 PhD student, School of Applied Science, University of Wolverhampton
  • 1997 BSc (Hons), Biological Sciences, University of Wolverhampton

Teaching

Dr Thomas makes a substantial contribution to teaching across the Medical School and contributes to the following programmes

Postgraduate supervision

Current PhD Students

  • Natasha Pavey – ‘Characterising the organisation and dynamics of the IMS and cytoskeleton in human iPSC-derived megakaryocytes and platelet production’. (BHF funded)
  • Neal Towsend – ‘Investigating S100A8/A9-driven platelet dysfunction and thromboinflammation in diabetes’ (Co-I, BHF Funded)

Current Postdoctoral research fellows

  • Dr Xenia Sawkulycz – ‘Determining the roles of SLFN14 in platelet biogenesis, haemostasis and thrombosis’ – (Co-I, BHF funded)

Alumni PhD Students

  • Amy Davies
  • Hannah Schachtner
  • Chris Stepanek
  • Naomi Waterman
  • Alex Hardy
  • Abdullah Khan
  • Emma Faulkner
  • Sam Kemble
  • Joanne Clarke
  • Evie Garlick
  • Tom O’Sullivan
  • Helena Brown
  • Syeeda Kabir

Alumni Postdoctoral research fellows

  • Dr Natalie Poulter
  • Dr Lucia Cardo
  • Dr Victoria Simms
  • Dr Emma Falkner

·     Dr Thomas is interested in supervising self-funded PhD students in the following areas

  • Super-resolution microscopy
  • Light sheet microscopy
  • Platelet and megakaryocyte formation and function
  • Actin and tubulin cytoskeleton
Please send a copy of your CV and details of your research interests via email. 

Research

Dr Thomas’s research is focused around the role of the cytoskeleton in the formation and function of platelets and megakaryocytes.

A major aim of his research has been to apply advanced fluorescence microscopy methods to the study of this cells. This includes super-resolution (dSTORM, SIM, SRRF and Expansion Microscopy) and light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (diSPIM). His current research is focusing on a number of areas incuding

  • How the actin cytoskeleton is organised within single platelets in platelet aggregates and how this underlies proper thrombus formation and stability.
  • How the actin cytoskeleton regulates the formation of the invaginated membrane system in maturing megakaryocytes, and the role this plays in proper platelet formation and release.
  • The organisation of the cortical actin cytoskeleton at the plasma membrane and how this is involved in regulating receptor signalling (with a focus on Adenosine A2 receptors).

Other activities

Dr Thomas is the academic lead for the College of Medicine and Health Tech Hub microscopy facility and he is also the college academic lead for research facilities and infrastructure support research delivery across the college. 

Dr Thomas is the former chair of the Platelet Society Executive committee, a charity aimed at supporting research and education of platelet related disorders. He also supports the Society through website maintenance and bookings and abstract submission for the annual meeting.

Dr Thomas is the Chair of the Royal Microscopical Society Life Science Committee aimed at supporting the use of microscopes in cell biology studies.

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Velasquez, SM, Fletcher, G, Burel, J-M, Parsons, M, Swedlow, J, Hartley, M, Bagia, S, Beckett, A, Crichton, JH, Cross, SJ, Foulkes, DM, Grimshaw, J, Held, M, Ho, K, Jones, M, Lee, M, Marcello, M, Marcotti, S, Markus, R, McConnell, G, Thomas, SG, West, SJ, Wheeler, A & Yoldaş, AK 2026, 'Building capacity in imaging data management', Journal of Microscopy. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmi.70078

Slater, A, Pan, H-Y, Ho, T-H, Martin, EM, Watson, SP, Pike, JA, Poulter, NS & Thomas, SG 2026, 'Nanobodies to GPVI as alternative reagents for platelet spreading', Platelets, vol. 37, no. 1, 2653068. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537104.2026.2653068

Faulkner, EL, Pike, JA, Garlick, E, Neely, RK, Styles, IB, Watson, SP, Poulter, NS & Thomas, SG 2025, 'Expansion microscopy allows quantitative characterisation of structural organisation of platelet aggregates', Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtha.2025.04.014

Stapley, RJ, Sawkulycz, X, Da Mota Araujo, GHM, Englert, M, Garcia-Quintanilla, L, Smith, SRM, Ahmed, A, Haining, EJ, Kaur, N, Bacon, A, Pisarev, AV, Poulter, NS, Kavanagh, DPJ, Thomas, SG, Montague, SJ, Rayes, J, Nagy, Z & Morgan, NV 2025, 'Platelet-specific SLFN14 deletion causes macrothrombocytopenia and platelet dysfunction through dysregulated megakaryocyte and platelet gene expression', Journal of Clinical Investigation. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI189100

Montague, SJ, Price, J, Pennycott, K, Pavey, NJ, Martin, EM, Thirlwell, I, Kemble, S, Monteiro, C, Redmond-Motteram, L, Lawson, N, Reynolds, K, Fratter, C, Bignell, P, Groenheide, A, Huskens, D, Laat, BD, Pike, JA, Poulter, NS, Thomas, SG, Lowe, GC, Lancashire, J, Harrison, P & Morgan, NV 2024, 'Comprehensive functional characterization of a novel ANO6 variant in a new patient with Scott syndrome', Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, vol. 22, no. 8, pp. 2281-2293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtha.2024.02.021

Manivannan, S, Kocbiyik, M, Banga, D, Nieto, H, Thomas, S, Read, M, McCabe, C & Smith, V 2024, 'Proto-oncogene regulation of thyroid cancer cell motility through altered focal adhesions', Thyroid, vol. 34, no. S1, Poster 0208, pp. A52-A52. https://doi.org/10.1089/thy.2024.89756.rc.abstracts

Kemble, S, Dalby, A, Lowe, G, Nicolson, P, Watson, S, Senis, Y, Thomas, S & Harrison, P 2022, 'Analysis of preplatelets and their barbell platelet derivatives by imaging flow cytometry', Blood Advances, vol. 6, no. 9, pp. 2932–2946. https://doi.org/10.1182/bloodadvances.2021006073

Faulkner, E, Pike, J, Densham, R, Garlick, E, Thomas, S, Neely, R & Morris, J 2022, 'Imaging nanoscale nuclear structures with expansion microscopy', Journal of Cell Science, vol. 135, no. 14, jcs259009. https://doi.org/10.1242/jcs.259009

Garlick, E, Faulkner, EL, Briddon, SJ & Thomas, SG 2022, 'Simple methods for quantifying super-resolved cortical actin', Scientific Reports, vol. 12, no. 1, 2715. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-06702-w

Abstract

Manivannan, S, Kocbiyik, M, Banga, D, Nieto, H, Thomas, S, Read, ML, McCabe, CJ & Smith, VE 2025, 'PBF-Mediated Focal Adhesion Dynamics: A Key Driver of Thyroid Cancer Cell Motility', Thyroid, vol. 35, no. S1, Poster 174, pp. e39-e39. https://doi.org/10.1177/10507256251379060

Manivannan, S, Kocbiyik, M, Banga, D, Nieto, HR, Thomas, S, Read, ML, McCabe, CJ & Smith, VE 2025, 'PBF‑Mediated Focal Adhesion Dynamics: A Key Driver of Thyroid Cancer Cell Motility', Thyroid Research, vol. 18, no. Suppl 1, OR3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13044-025-00258-3

Manivannan, S, Kocbiyik, M, Banga, D, Hariharan, A, Nieto, H, Thomas, S, Read, M, McCabe, C & Smith, V 2025, 'PBF-mediated focal adhesion dynamics: a key driver of thyroid cancer cell motility', Endocrine Abstracts, vol. 109, OP5.1. https://doi.org/10.1530/endoabs.109.OP5.1

Manivannan, S, Kocbiyik, M, Banga, D, Afzal, A, Zha, L, Brookes, K, Nieto, HR, Thomas, S, Read, ML, McCabe, CJ & Smith, VE 2024, 'Proto-oncogene PBF regulation of cell adhesion and motility', Thyroid Research, vol. 17, no. S1, PO3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13044-024-00203-w

Letter

Ahmed, A, Montague, SJ, Vyas, H, Mistry, J, Pavey, NJ, Smith, SRM, Griffith, L, Clothier, I, Hudson, R, Faulkner, E, Buka, R, Bignell, P, Fratter, C, Marshall, K, Bailiff, B, Poulter, NS, de Laat, B, Huskens, D, Lowe, GC, Thomas, SG & Morgan, NV 2026, 'Scott syndrome with novel compound heterozygous pathogenic variants in ANO6 and reduced thrombin generation', Haematologica. https://doi.org/10.3324/haematol.2025.300111

Brown, HC, Beck, S, Navarro, S, Di, Y, Soriano jerez, EM, Kaczmarzyk, J, Thomas, SG, Mirakaj, V, Watson, SP, Nieswandt, B & Stegner, D 2023, 'Antibody-mediated depletion of human CLEC-2 in a novel humanized mouse model', Blood Advances, vol. 7, no. 6, pp. 997–1000. https://doi.org/10.1182/bloodadvances.2021006463

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