University of Pennsylvania – Department of Biology

Thomas Kash, Ph.D.

I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2016 with a B.S. In biology and psychology and a minor in chemistry. As an undergraduate, I assisted with and conducted independent research studying how nicotine and other chemicals in cigarettes impact rat behavior. This sparked my interest in studying behavioral neuroscience. I received my PhD in biology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2024 in the Corder lab. My dissertation research led me to discover a neural pathway between the amygdala and the nucleus accumbens that is specifically engaged during pain. This neural circuit is essential for the emotional component of both acute and chronic pain. As a graduate student, I mentored undergraduate and junior graduate students and taught introductory biology laboratory and animal behavior courses. This cemented my love of mentoring and teaching. At UNC Chapel Hill, I am a postdoctoral fellow in the Kash Lab in the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies. I have returned to my interests in addiction and am studying how serotonergic neurons and their downstream targets are impacted in a model of alcohol use disorder. I am very excited to continue my research and gain independent teaching experience and training through the SPIRE fellowship.

Ritchie JL-Eberle MR-Wojick JA-Campeau MR-Kooyman LS-Thiele TE-Kash TL. Lateral hypothalamus CRFR1 regulation of binge drinking: Divergence along anterior-posterior axis.. Alcohol (Fayetteville- N.Y.). 2026 Feb;130:6-13. PMID: 41232731