Jim Thomas
Professor of Bioinorganic Chemistry - Department of Chemistry
Profile
Professor Jim Thomas was inspired by his father to become a scientist but, after not achieving the best degree in chemistry at Reading, he opted to teach in the UK before going to western Kenya with Voluntary Services Overseas, where he taught in a rural high school for several years. This lent him a great deal of perspective and led him to revisit his childhood ambition of becoming a research scientist, commencing a PhD as a mature student.
While his late entry into an academic career would normally mean that path was closed, he continued to pursue it, despite being offered a job in industry with a top company. He achieved a high profile postdoc position with a Nobel prize winner in France but soon returned to the UK, to Sheffield, where he began to apply for fellowships. He was awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship but also chose to take on a relatively large teaching timetable to show his commitment to the department and to get to know students with whom he might potentially collaborate in the future.
Jim has also engaged in science communication work, which has honed his skills in terms of writing proposals and technical papers and generally being able to write in a more interesting way.
“Even if you don’t feel confident, you really have to take it on the chin and apply for as many places as you can… you just have to carry on going and hope for the best and, as long as you get the one positive outcome, that’s all that matters.”
Career timeline
1982
BSc (Hons) Chemistry, University of Reading.
1983
PGCE in Physical Science, Worcester College of HE.
1983-1985
Teacher of Chemistry, Heathfield High School, Sandwell.
1986-1988
Head of Physical Science, rural Kenyan High School (VSO contract).
1988-1989
GRSC (Part II) in Chemistry, Staffordshire Polytechnic.
1989-1993
PhD in Coordination Chemistry, University of Birmingham.
1992
First author paper
Thomas, J.A., Jones, C.J., McCleverty, J.A., Collison, D., Mabbs, F.E., Harding, C.J. and Hutchings, M.G. (1992) An EPR, magnetic and electrochemical study of electron exchange and intermetallic interaction through polyene bridges. J Chem Soc Chem Comm (24), 1796-1798.
1993
First author paper
‘Electron exchange in bimetallic polyene bridged complexes,’ J.A. Thomas, C.J. Jones, J.A. McCleverty, T. Hamor, C.J. Harding, Mol. Crys. Liq. Cryst., 1993, 234, 103 -108!993:First author paper
Thomas, J.A. and Hamor, T.A. (1993) Structure of orthorhombic triphenylphosphine oxide - A redetermination at room-temperature. Acta Crystallogr C, 49, 355-357.
1993-1994
Royal Society European Fellowship with Professor J.M. Lehn, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France.
1994-1995
Research Associate with Professor Chris Hunter, the University of Sheffield.
1995
First author paper
Thomas, J.A., Jones, C.J., McCleverty, J.A., Bruce, D.W. and Hutchings, M.G. (1995) The syntheses of some paramagnetic stilbazole complexes and an evaluation of their redox and mesogenic properties. Polyhedron, 14(17-18), 2499-2504.
1995-1997
Introductory Inorganic Chemistry (foundation).
1995-1998
Member of staff/student committee, the University of Sheffield.
1995-2004
Royal Society University Research Fellow, the University of Sheffield.
1996
First author paper
Thomas, J.A., Wlodarczyk, A., Jones, C.J., McCleverty, J.A. and Hutchings, M.G (1996) Molecular wires: An electrochemical study of metal-metal interactions through chains of four carbon atoms (vol 15, pg 1409, 1996). Polyhedron, 15(12), 2103-2103.First author paper
‘Solvatochromism of mono- and bidimolybdenum coordination complexes dipyridyloctatetraene,’ J.A. Thomas, M.G. Hutchings, C.J. Jones, J.A. McCleverty, Inorg. Chem., 1996, 35, 289.
1997
Other author paper
Warnmark, K., Heyke, O., Thomas, J.A., Baxter, P.N.W. and Lehn, J.M. (1997) Stereoisomerically controlled inorganic architectures: Synthesis of extended enantio- and diastereomerically pure ruthenium molecular wires and disks from enantiopure building blocks. ABSTR PAP AM CHEM S, 213, 591-INOR.
1997-2001
Frontiers in Inorganic Chemistry (third year).
1997 to present
Referee for BBSRC and EPSRC.
1998-2002
Chair of staff/student committee, the University of Sheffield.
1998-2006
Transition Metal Chemistry (second year)
1998
Other author paper
‘A highly coupled RuIII/RuII system incorporating sulphur donor ligands,’ S. Roche, L.J. Yellowlees, J.A. Thomas, Chem. Commun., 1998, 1429.First author paper
Thomas, J. (1998) Gripping chemistry. New Scientist, 160(2163), 36-39.
1999
British Association Media Fellow at New Scientist news desk.
1999 to present
Member of EPSRC Research College.
2000
First author paper
Thomas, J. (2000) Atomic abacus. New Scientist, 165(2225), 40-43.Other author paper
‘Controlling Substitution Chemistry in Ruthenium (II) Systems – Synthesis of Heteroleptic Complexes Incorporating the [Ru([9]aneS3)]2+ metal center,’ S. Roche, H. Adams, S.E. Spey, J.A. Thomas, Inorg. Chem., 2000, 39, 2385.
2000-2007
Member of The Royal Society Science in Society Committee.
2001
Last author paper
Metcalfe, C., Webb, M. and Thomas, J.A. (2002) A facile synthetic route to bimetallic ReI complexes containing two dppz DNA intercalating ligands. Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)(18), 2026-2027.
2001-2004
Royal Society School’s Partnership Grants review committee.
2002
Other author paper
Araujo, C.S., Drew, M.G.B., Felix, V., Jack, L., Madureira, J., Newell, M., Roche, S., Santos, T.M., Thomas, J.A. and Yellowlees, L. (2002) Ru-II electron transfer systems containing S-donor ligands. Inorg Chem, 41(8), 2250-2259.
2002-2014
Secretary of staff/student committee.
2003
Second author paper
Metcalfe, C. and Thomas, J.A. (2003) Kinetically inert transition metal complexes that reversibly bind to DNA. Chem Soc Rev, 32(4), 215-224.
2004-2007
Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry, the University of Sheffield.
2004
Other author paper
‘Switchable electron transfer processes in a mixed valence, kinetically locked, trinuclear RuII metallo-macrocycle,’ N. Shan, S. Vickers, H. Adams, M.D. Ward., J.A. Thomas, Angew. Chem. Intl. Ed., 2004, 43, 3398-41.Participant in New Frontiers Symposium.
Last author paper
Paul, J., Spey, S., Adams, H. and Thomas, J.A. (2004) Synthesis and structure of rhodium complexes containing extended terpyridyl ligands. Inorg Chim Acta, 357(10), 2827-2832.
2005-2006
Inorganic Materials Chemistry (third year).
2005-2014
Undergraduate Admissions tutor.
2005
Other author paper
‘Tuning DNA binding affinities and photoredox properties of water-soluble organic dppz analogues,’ T. Phillips, C. Rajput, L. Twyman, I. Haq, J.A. Thomas, Chem Commun, 2005, 4327-29.Last author paper
Adams, H., Amado, A.M., Félix, V., Mann, B.E., Antelo-Martinez, J., Newell, M., Ribeiro-Claro, P.J.A., Spey, S.E. and Thomas, J.A. (2005) RuII complexes incorporating tetrathiamacrocycles: synthesis and conformational analysis. Chemistry, 11(7), 2031-2046.
2005-2008
Member of The Royal Society partnership in Science Grants Committee.
2006
Second author paper
Newell, M. and Thomas, J.A. (2006) Electrochemical properties of dinuclear [Ru([n]aneS4)] complexes of 2,3-bis(2-pyridyl)pyrazine. Dalton Trans (5), 705-709.Other author paper
‘Self-assembled kinetically locked RuII-based metallomacrocyles: physical, structural, and modeling studies.’ P. de Wolf, P. Waywell, M. Hanson, S. L Heath, A.J.H.M. Meijer, S.J Teat, J.A. Thomas, Chem. Eur. J., 2006, 12, 2188-2195. (front cover)
2007–2010
Senior lecturer, the University of Sheffield.
2007 to present
Lectures/tutorials on various undergraduate (levels 1-4) and postgraduate modules.
First author paper
Thomas, J.A. (2007) Locking self-assembly: strategies and outcomes. Chem Soc Rev, 36(6), 856-868.
2008
Scientific Research Assessor for the Promotion Panel of Chalmers University.
Speaker at Royal Society and Indian National Academy of Sciences meeting.
Other author paper
‘A dinuclear ruthenium(II) complex that functions as a label-free colorimetric sensor for DNA,’ V. Gonzalez, T. Wilson, I. Kurihara, A. Imai, J.A. Thomas, J. Otsuki, Chem Commun., 2008, 168-170.Other author paper
Yuste, C., Gomes, D.C.D., Adams, H., Thomas, J.A., Lloret, F. and Julve, M. (2008) Syntheses, crystal structures and magnetic properties of tricyanomethanide-containing bis(2-pyrimidylcarbonyl)amidate copper(II) complexes. Polyhedron, 27(12), 2577-2584.
2009
Other author paper
‘A Ruthenium(II) Polypyridyl Complex for Direct Imaging of DNA Structure in Living Cells.’ Martin R. Gill, Jorge Garcia-Lara, Simon J. Foster, Carl Smythe, Guiseppe Battaglia, Jim A. Thomas, Nature Chem., 1, 662-667.Other author paper
Ghosh, A., Mandoli, A., Kumar, D.K., Yadav, N.S., Ghosh, T., Jha, B., Thomas, J.A. and Das, A. (2009) DNA binding and cleavage properties of a newly synthesised Ru(II)-polypyridyl complex. Dalton T (42), 9312-9321.
2009-2014
Member of department’s Teaching Quality Committee.
2010
Other author paper
‘Structure of the complex of [Ru(tpm)(dppz)py]2+ with a B-DNA oligonucleotide - a single-substituent binding switch for a metallo-intercalator.’ Phil Waywell, Veronica Gonzalez, Martin R. Gill, Harry Adams, Anthony J.H.M. Meijer, Mike P. Williamson, Jim A. Thomas, Chem. Eur. J., 2010, 16, 2407-2417 (inside cover).Second author paper
Waywell, P., Thomas, J.A. and Williamson, M.P. (2010) Structural analysis of the binding of the diquaternary pyridophenazine derivative dqdppn to B-DNA oligonucleotides. Org Biomol Chem, 8(3), 648-654.
2010-2014
Reader in Coordination Chemistry, the University of Sheffield.
2011
Other author paper
Tian, X.H., Gill, M.R., Canton, I., Thomas, J.A. and Battaglia, G. (2011) Live Cell Luminescence Imaging As a Function of Delivery Mechanism. ChemBioChem, 12(4), 548-551.
2012
Second author paper
Gill, M.R. and Thomas, J.A. (2012) Ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes and DNA–from structural probes to cellular imaging and therapeutics. Chem Soc Rev, 41(8), 3179-3192.
2013
First author paper
Thomas, J.A. (2013) Tuning electronic interactions in mixed valence ruthenium systems incorporating thiacrown ligands. Coordination Chemistry Reviews, 257(9-10), 1555-1563.Other author paper
‘Targeting the endoplasmic reticulum with a membrane-interactive luminescent ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complex’ Martin R. Gill, Denis Ceccin, Michael G. Walker, Raminder S. Mulla, Guiseppe Battaglia, Carl Smythe, Jim A. Thomas, Chem Sci, 2013, 4,4512-4519.
2014
Last author paper
Ahmad, H., Ghosh, D. and Thomas, J.A. (2014) Using ancillary ligands to tune the DNA binding properties of self-assembled luminescent metallomacrocycles. Chem Commun (Camb), 50(29), 3859-3861.
2015
First author paper
Thomas, J.A. (2015) Optical imaging probes for biomolecules: an introductory perspective. Chemical Society Reviews, 44(14), 4494-4500.Other author paper
Song, L., Guo, Y., Roebuck, D., Chen, C., Yang, M., Yang, Z., Sreedharan, S., Glover, C., Thomas, J.A., Liu, D., Guo, S., Chen, R. and Zhou, D. (2015) Terminal PEGylated DNA–Gold Nanoparticle Conjugates Offering High Resistance to Nuclease Degradation and Efficient Intracellular Delivery of DNA Binding Agents. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 7(33), 18707-18716.
2015 to present
Professor of Bioinorganic Chemistry, the University of Sheffield.
2017
First author paper
Thomas, J.A., Saaed, H.K., Saeed, I.Q. and Buurma, N. (2017) The structure of linkers affects the DNA binding properties of tethered dinuclear ruthenium (II) metallo-intercalator. Chemistry A European Journal.Other author paper
‘Homo- and heteroleptic phototoxic dinuclear metallo-intercalators based on RuII (dppn) intercalating moieties: synthesis, optical and biological studies’ Hiwa K. Saeed, Paul J. Jarman, Stuart Archer, Sreejesh Sreedharan, Ibrahim Q. Saeed, Luke K. McKenzie, Julia A. Weinstein, Niklaas J. Buurma, Carl G.W. Smythe, and Jim A. Thomas, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2017, 56, 12628-12633.