Thom Cleland

Thom grew up in a rural part of New York’s Capital Region and attended SUNY Buffalo, where they graduated with a B.S. in Pharmacology and Toxicology.  In 2015, an opportunity led them to Boston - first at Massachusetts General Hospital as a Clinical Research Coordinator, then to the Broad Institute in 2017 as a Research Associate. Over the years, Thom took on responsibilities in project and lab management and made the choice to pursue lab management full-time in the summer of 2021. They joined the Broad’s Type 2 Diabetes Systems Genomics Initiative (T2DSGI) as Lab Manager in 2022, supporting both the Neal and Claussnitzer Labs. 

In their spare time, Thom takes circus classes and trains an array of disciplines, including static trapeze, corde lisse, hand-balancing, juggling, and unicycling. They’re also a four-seasons bicycle commuter, someone that enjoys spending time in wooded forests, and are trying to make the practice of meditation a habit.

"A clown is not a thing. Clowning is a series of techniques and attitudes that allow you to solve problems… It’s not about costumes, make-ups, funny faces, funny voices -  it’s the attitude to solving the problems that you find along the way to doing your job.” -Avner Eisenberg