Hay Ronald Thomas

Ronald Thomas Hay is a Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Dundee's College of Life Sciences, Division of Gene Regulation and Expression. Previously, he held professorial roles at the University of St Andrews (1994–2005) and was a Reader and Lecturer there from 1985 onward. He completed his B.Sc. (1st Class Honours in Biochemistry) at Heriot-Watt University and his Ph.D. at the University of Glasgow's Institute of Virology. His research focuses on the ubiquitin and SUMO systems, including their roles in DNA replication, stress responses, and protein dynamics.

Key honors include the Novartis Medal (2012), the Danny Thomas Lecture (2008), and fellowships in the Royal Society, Royal Society of Edinburgh, and Academy of Medical Sciences. He has led major grants, including projects on SUMO modification and oncology, funded by GSK, Cancer Research UK, MRC, and EU initiatives. Over 40 postdoctoral researchers and 17 Ph.D. students have been trained under his supervision.

He has held administrative roles such as Head of the Division of Cell and Molecular Biology at St Andrews and contributed to national and international research committees, including the Cancer Research UK Programmes Committee and the Biomedical and Therapeutic Research Committee of the Scottish Executive.