Travis Carle Thomson

Travis Carle Thomson serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at UMass Chan Medical School's T.H. Chan School of Medicine. He holds additional appointments in the NeuroNexus Institute and the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences' Neuroscience Department, maintaining his laboratory at 366 Plantation Street, NERB, Worcester MA.

His educational background includes a BS in Molecular Genetics from the University of Alberta (Edmonton) and a PhD in Biology from McGill University (Montreal). Research focuses on structural synaptic plasticity mechanisms, particularly through the lens of retrotransposon-derived proteins like Arc in Drosophila melanogaster models. Key investigations examine capsid-mediated RNA transfer, transposable element regulation in neural circuits, and stress-response pathways linking anxiety to reward motivation.

Publication trends reveal consistent contributions to Cell, Nature Neuroscience, and PLoS Biology, with recent work (2023-2025) emphasizing capsid transfer mechanisms in synaptic plasticity and neuronal coping strategies. His research bridges molecular genetics, neurobiology, and transposon biology, generating significant scholarly attention including high-impact citations (e.g., 189 citations for 2018 Cell paper).

Thomson maintains active collaborations with prominent researchers including Vivian Budnik (frequent co-author), Lawrence Schwartz, and Peter M'Angale. His laboratory participates in the NeuroNexus Institute's interdisciplinary neuroscience initiatives, focusing on molecular mechanisms underlying neural plasticity and connectivity.