Dr. Robert A. Thomas is Loyola Chair in Environmental Communication at Loyola University, New Orleans. He was the founding director of the Louisiana Nature Center, where he served as the liaison for the community in information pertaining to science education, environmental issues and natural history.
Dr. Thomas is the past president of the Association of Nature Center Administrators, and has served on the Accreditation Commission of the American Association of Museums and as chair of the Environmental Advisory Committee for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. He received his doctorate in vertebrate zoology from Texas A&M University, completed postdoctoral work at Louisiana State University Medical Center, and has held adjunct professorships at the University of New Orleans, Tulane University, and Louisiana State University. He is the recipient of the 2011 Dux Academicus award at Loyola.