Thomas Kidd

Thomas Kidd is a Professor in the Biology Department at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), part of the College of Science. His research focuses on axon guidance mechanisms in Drosophila, particularly the roles of Slit proteins and Dscam1 in neural development. He has held positions at UC Berkeley (1994-1999) and Exelixis Inc. (1999-2003) before joining UNR in 2003. Kidd earned his B.A. in Genetics from Trinity College Dublin (1990) and his Ph.D. in Zoology from Oxford University (1994).

Research Interests:

• Axon Navigation: Mechanisms of Slit-mediated repulsion/attraction, Dscam1’s role in axon branching and circuit formation
• Neurointestinal Development: Gut nervous system formation using feeding behavior as a readout
• Evolutionary Conserved Pathways: Roles of axon guidance genes in heart development, metabolism, and apoptosis

Publications Highlight: Over 35 peer-reviewed articles, including seminal work on Slit/Robo/Dscam interactions (e.g., Cell, 2015; PLOS Biology, 2016). Recent studies explore apoptotic signaling’s role in axon pathfinding (2018) and Dscam1’s impact on gut nervous system function (2023).

No awards listed, but his work is supported by grants focusing on neurodevelopmental mechanisms. Teaches Introduction to Neuroscience and Developmental Biology. Active in developing Drosophila genetic tools for neural circuit analysis.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Kidd Lab at UNR, collaborating with international groups on axon guidance and neurodevelopmental disorders.