Experience

Research

Research Assistant

Sep 2020 - Apr 2022

Conducted research under the supervision of Dr Soyon Hong at the UK Dementia Research Institute. Utilised immunohistochemistry and super-resolution microscopy (Airyscan, STED) to investigate what makes synapses vulnerable to elimination in mouse models of neurodegenerative disease.

Research Assistant

Jan 2020 - Sep 2022

Conducted research under the supervision of Dr Soyon Hong at University College London. Analysed synaptic proteomic datasets from human Alzheimer's disease (AD) and rodent AD-like brains to identify the proteomic signature of synapses vulnerable to loss. Constructed protein-protein interaction networks and applied clustering algorithms to identify functional modules and protein complexes altered in vulnerable synapses across different experimental paradigms.

Research Assistant

Sep 2017 - Apr 2018

Conducted research under the supervision of Prof Jon Sayers at The University of Sheffield. Identified inhibitors of the Haemophilus influenzae flap endonuclease (HiFEN). Utilised FRET IC50s to screen a large, small-molecule library for HiFEN inhibitors and thermal shift assays to identify HiFEN-binding molecules. Used in silico molecular docking to complement in vitro results.

Teaching

Psychobiology Seminar Tutor

January 2024 - Present

Deliver seminars for the Psychobiology module to undergraduate students studying Psychology at University of Sussex. Topics covered: biology of the cell, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, sensory and motor processing and integration, homeostasis, motivated behaviour, and evolutionary psychology.

Business English Tutor

June 2022 - Present

Teach Business English to Korean professionals and Academic Writing to Korean academics via the online Ringle platform. Promoted to 'Golden Star Tutor' for consistently receiving 5* student reviews. Awarded 'Tutor of the Month' (June 2023) out of 1500+ tutors.

Science Tutor

July 2022 - June 2023

Tutored Biochemistry, Biology, Neuroscience and Academic Writing to university students via the online Spires platform.

ESL Teacher

Mar 2019 - Oct 2019

Taught English to Chinese children (5-15 years old) via the online Whales English platform.

Education

Clinical Neuroscience MSc, Distinction

University College London, 2019 - 2020

Medical Biochemistry BSc, First-Class Honours

The University of Sheffield, 2015 - 2018

Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Global Perspectives - A* A* A Distinction

King Edwards VI Grammar School, 2008 - 2015

Online Courses

CS50's Introduction to Computer Science (100+ hours)
Applied Machine Learning in Python (~31 hours)
Applied Plotting, Charting & Data Representation in Python (~24 hours)
Introduction to Data Science in Python (~34 hours)
Using Databases with Python (~14 hours)
Using Python to Access Web Data (~19 hours)
Python Data Structures (~19 hours)
Getting Started with Python (~19 hours)
Introduction to Python Programming (150+ hours)

Awards

Wellcome Trust 4-Year PhD Studentship

Wellcome Trust, 2024

Awarded the Wellcome Trust 4-Year PhD Studentship in Optical Biology (£220,000).

UK DRI Collaborative Proteomics Grant

UK Dementia Research Institute, 2021

Awarded the UK DRI Collaborative Proteomics Grant (£15,000) for an application I wrote alongside Dr Soyon Hong and Prof Dario Alessi, in which we proposed using proteomics to identify synaptic targets of complement protein C1q in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease.

Dean's List

University College London, 2020

Awarded a position on the Dean's List for graduating with the second-highest grade (89%) in the year.

Ede and Ravenscroft Prize

The University of Sheffield, 2016

Awarded the Ede and Ravenscroft Prize (£500) for being the highest performing student across the Faculty of Science.

Foundation Award for Outstanding A Level Results

King Edwards VI Grammar School, 2015

Awarded individual commendation awards for Biology, Chemistry, and Physics in the final year of A levels, as well as the Foundation Award for Outstanding A Level Results.

Publications

Microglia-synapse engulfment via PtdSer-TREM2 ameliorates neuronal hyperactivity in Alzheimer's disease models.

EMBO, 2023

Rueda-Carrasco J*, Sokolova D*, Lee SE*, Childs T, Jurčáková N, Crowley G, De Schepper S, Ge JZ, Lachica JI, Toomey CE, Freeman OJ, Hardy J, Barnes SJ, Lashley T, Stevens B, Chang S and Hong S.

Perivascular cells induce microglial phagocytic states and synaptic engulfment via SPP1 in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease.

Nature Neuroscience, 2023

De Schepper S, Ge JZ, Crowley G, Ferreira LSS, Garceau D, Toomey CE, Sokolova D, Rueda-Carrasco J, Shin SH, Kim JS, Childs T, Lashley T, Burden JJ, Sasner M, Frigerio CS, Jung S and Hong S.

Insight into the role of phosphatidylserine in complement-mediated synapse loss in Alzheimer’s disease.

Faculty Reviews, 2021

Sokolova D*, Childs T* and Hong S.

Microglia, phosphatidylserine, and synapse loss: an investigation into the vulnerable synapse.

Master's Thesis, UCL, 2020

Supervisor: Dr Soyon Hong. Award: Distinction.

*Equal Contributors

Student Testimonials

'Thomas was one of the best tutors I've met on Ringle. He was skilled at leading the conversation as he asked many great, interesting questions that made me think deeper about the topic of the conversation. I could see that he feels very passionate about teaching students on Ringle and that aspect of him made the class more enjoyable. He also gave me detailed feedback on how I can make myself sound more fluent and natural, which I would not have been able to figure out so clearly myself. Thank you for the class Thomas and I look forward to seeing you again soon! '
- Min***

'Out of all the Ringle tutors I have taken classes with, he is the most passionate and sincere teacher I have ever met in my life. This is what I felt while taking classes with Thomas for about 2 years. Thomas is the best teacher I've ever met. He always teaches with enthusiasm and sincerity. So, my English skills have improved significantly. I've really enjoyed studying with him. Thank you for everything:) '
- Pin***

'Most of the tutors I've experienced have been good, but this one is the best among them. I was able to speak well because he created a comfortable atmosphere for conversation, and it was a great help for me to listen to various examples along with appropriate feedback on my speaking habits. I recommend you to take the class. I want to see you again. Thank you. '
- Pio***

'He is an amazing tutor! I feel that you prepared well for the class, and it was great that you not only corrected the answers, but also pointed out my habits and problems when speaking English in general, and even explained how to correct them! It was so nice to be a person who really filled up 40 minutes, taught well, reacted well, and even asked additional questions appropriately!!!! '
- Awd***

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- Soj***

'I've been taking Thomas's class for over 2years. He has been a professional and excellent tutor in his English skills, paraphrasing, introducing new vocabulary, great empathy, and etc. I don't think I can find an amazing tutor besides him. '
- Jol***

'Thomas is so passionate, knowledgeable and meticulous. His corrections were quick, detailed, precise and professional. Really appreciate his help and feedback on my essay. '
- A_v***

'He was the best teacher I have met in Ringle in terms of correction capabilities!! I want to meet him again and again. '
- Kim***

'It's hard to take a class with Tom. Finally, I had a class with him today and I realized that why his class mostly full booked. No more words about him. Almost perfect!! '
- Jen***

'He led the conversation comfortably and friendly. I couldn't express it well because I talked in English after a long time, but nevertheless, the power to lead the class is great. The correction and explanation were also good. The perfect tutor! '
- Sso***

'I have learned several interesting idiomatic phrases from Tom. His overall feedback right after each answer helps me keep what to improve and be cautious in mind. Moreover, every single sentence paraphrased by him was so beautiful. I would love to have more classes with him. '
- Shi***

'Thank you for today's lesson! Everything was perfect! It really helped me with detailed feedback and paraphrasing ! Hope to see you again :) '
- Dms***

'What a perfect tutoring! Probably the best class that I have ever had! Thanks:D '
- Neu***

'Everything is perfect. Perfect tutor. That's what I want to say. '
- Pep***

'He's the best. '
- Lee***