Thomas Phillips, retired Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor and biological sciences professor, speaks during a ceremony naming the room inside the Bond Life Sciences Center that houses the Advanced Light Microscopy Core the Thomas E. Phillips Light Microscopy Facility in his honor.
Thomas Phillips impacted the University of Missouri through his 37 years of award-winning teaching, groundbreaking research and distinguished service.
Now, the freshly retired Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor and biological sciences professor is leaving a permanent mark on MU: The room inside the Bond Life Sciences Center that houses the Advanced Light Microscopy Core has been named in his honor the Thomas E. Phillips Light Microscopy Facility.
A letter supporting the name change noted “Dr. Phillips has made many distinguished and long-lasting contributions to the mission of the University of Missouri. As his legacy is cemented and ongoing, so will the naming of this facility in his honor be a continuing reminder of the dedication Dr. Phillips showed to MU.”
The letter was signed by David Schulz, director and professor of biological sciences; Walter Gassmann, director of the Bond Life Sciences Center; Cooper Drury, dean of the College of Arts and Science; and Tom Spencer, vice chancellor for research.
Phillips founded and established the Advanced Light Microscopy Core in 1991 and served continuously as its director until 2022. The core is an invaluable resource for light microscopy, immunocytochemistry and general scientific image analysis and processing.
Phillips’ lab used bright-field microscopy, wide-field and confocal immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy in combination with biochemical and molecular genetic techniques to study mucosal cell biology in the conjunctiva (the inner surface of the eyelid) and intestinal tract.
Some of Phillips’ teaching honors include being named a William T. Kemper Fellow for Teaching Excellence in 2006 and a Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor in 2016.
