Thomas Vattakaven

Thomas Vattakaven has a diverse range of work experience. From 2004 to 2006, they worked as a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Oceanography, where they focused on isolating and purifying marine bacteria for bioactivity tests. In 2006, they briefly worked as a Researcher at Plymouth Marine Laboratory & PML Applications Ltd.

In 2010, Thomas joined Molecular Probes / Invitrogen as a Technical Application Scientist, specializing in troubleshooting molecular probes and cellular analysis. Thomas worked there until 2012.

From 2012 to 2013, Thomas worked as a Researcher at the French Institute of Pondicherry, where they contributed to the Western Ghats Portal project. Thomas focused on data curation, aggregation, validation, and public outreach.

Since 2013, Thomas has been working at Strand Life Sciences in various roles. Initially as a Senior Scientist - I, they coordinated the India Biodiversity Portal, which aimed to unify expertise and aggregate biodiversity information. Thomas then progressed to roles as Senior Application Scientist II and Senior Application Scientist III, where they continued to manage and coordinate the portal. In their current role as Senior Application Scientist IV, their responsibilities are not specified, but they continue to work at Strand Life Sciences.

Thomas Vattakaven's education history begins with their high school education at Lawrence School, Lovedale from 1988 to 1994. Here, they studied various subjects including science, social science, English, maths, and Malayalam.

After completing high school, Thomas attended Mangalore University from 1998 to 2000, earning a Bachelor's degree with a triple major in microbiology, zoology, and chemistry.

Thomas then pursued a Master's degree in marine biology and biological oceanography from Cochin University of Science and Technology, which they completed between 2001 and 2003.

Following this, Thomas attended the University of Plymouth from 2004 to 2005, where they obtained a Master of Research degree. Thomas'sfield of study during this program included molecular and cellular marine biology, science and technology, and marine biology.

Thomas's highest level of education is a PhD in biomedical science (microbiology), which they obtained from the University of the West of England between 2006 and 2010.

In terms of additional certifications, Thomas has obtained the Advanced Badge in Biodiversity Data Mobilization from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility in March 2022.