Stephanie Thomas

Stephanie Thomas serves as a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, since August 2017. Her research characterizes the intestinal microbiota in human populations and mouse models to identify how microbial metabolites influence host physiology, including intestinal barrier integrity, weight regulation, and behavior, and how diet modulates host-microbe interactions.

Dr. Thomas's educational background includes:

• BA in Environmental and Population Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, 1994
• PhD in Microbiology, Montana State University Bozeman, 2004
• Postdoctoral Fellowship in Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, 2009
• Postdoctoral Fellowship in Eating Disorders, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, 2016

Her research focuses on the intestinal microbiome and its impact on host health. Key areas include:

• Intestinal microbiome characterization
• Metabolomics of microbial metabolites
• Intestinal permeability and barrier function
• Microbiome-gut-brain axis and behavior
• Dietary modulation of host-microbe interactions

Dr. Thomas combines clinical and basic science approaches to evaluate how complex gut microbial communities affect host physiology.