This page contains archived content on a former member of the Jefferson Lab leadership team.
Dr. Anthony Thomas
Former Chief Scientist and Theory Group Leader
Thomas joined Jefferson Lab after serving as the Elder Professor of Physics, occupying the prestigious Chair first held by William Henry Bragg, at the Department of Physics and Mathematical Physics at the University of Adelaide in Australia. Additionally, he held the position of Director at the Special Research Centre for the Subatomic Structure of Matter and the National Institute for Theoretical Physics.
Having completed his Ph.D. in 1973 at Flinders University, Thomas embarked on a distinguished career that led him to prominent institutions such as the University of British Columbia, TRIUMF, and CERN before returning to Australia in 1984.
At the University of Adelaide, Thomas held various roles including Chair of Physics, Head of the Department of Physics and Mathematical Physics, and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Science. He was also elected to the University Council from 1991 to 1997.
Thomas is recognized as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, where he served on Council and as Vice President. He held the presidency of the Australian Institute of Physics from 1991 to 1993. Moreover, he was honored as a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 1987 and a Fellow of the Institute of Physics in the UK in 1996. Throughout his career, he has received numerous prizes and awards, including the Harrie Massey Medal (IoP) in 2000, the Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal (AAS) in 1997, a Research Prize from the Alexander von Humboldt Research Foundation in 1992, and the Walter Boas Medal (AIP) in 1987.
Thomas was actively involved in various national and international committees. He served as Secretary of Commission C12 (Nuclear Physics) of IUPAP from 1996 to 2002 and chaired the National Committee for Physics (AAS). At TRIUMF, he chaired the Experiment Evaluation Committee for five years. He also chaired the IUCF Visiting Committee for two years and currently serves on the Beirat at the Nuclear Physics Institute of FZ-Juelich.