Thomas Patrick Coohill (born August 25, 1941) is considered one of the world's experts on the effects of light on living systems (

Photobiology Photobiology is the scientific study of the beneficial and harmful interactions of light (technically, non-ionizing radiation) in living organisms. The field includes the study of photophysics, photochemistry, photosynthesis, photomorphogenesis, vis ...

Biography

Thomas Patrick Coohill, son of Francis Coohill and Mary Donnelly, was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, on 25 August 1941. He has/had four brothers, Francis, William, Edmund and Kevin, and three sisters, Joan, Margaret and Virginia.All of his grandparents were Irish. Coohill attended Saint Michael's College at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

, where he met his future wife, Patricia Ann Trutty. He received his master's degree at the

University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a public research university in Toledo, Ohio. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, which includes the University of ...

. His first two sons, Joseph and Thomas Jr., were born in Toledo. He received his PhD in

Biophysics Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations. ...

at Pennsylvania State University under the tutelage of renowned physicist, Ernest C. Pollard. He then went to work in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

, where his third and final son, Matthew, was born. Coohill has worked in various places: the Medical School at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

; the Pittsburgh Veterans Administration Hospital, Woods Hole Marine Biology Lab,

Brookhaven National Laboratory Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory located in Upton, Long Island, and was formally established in 1947 at the site of Camp Upton, a former U.S. Army base and Japanese internment c ...

, the

Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center in the City of La Cañada Flintridge, California, United States. Founded in the 1930s by Caltech researchers, JPL is owned by NASA an ...

Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glasgow, Elizabethtow ...

and at Siena College. He was President of the

American Society for Photobiology The American Society for Photobiology (ASP) is a scientific society for the promotion of research in photobiology, integration of different photobiology disciplines, dissemination of photobiology knowledge, and provides information on photobiologic ...

in 1989;

Sigma Xi Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is a highly prestigious, non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a small group of graduate students in 1886 ...

speaker from 1990–1991. Currently he is a member of the Review Committee of the United Nations for the

Montreal Protocol The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. It was agreed on 16 September 1987, and entered into force o ...

on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. His speciality is the effects of ultraviolet radiation on cells and viruses. He has published over 100 reviewed articles, book chapters, and books. He is a sought after consultant to industry and governments and has been a featured speaker in over 40 countries. Coohill is the recipient of several awards, including a Sigma Xi National Lectureship (twice), The Order of St. Michael (humanitarian), the meritorious RA Award from the American Society for Photobiology, and Outstanding Teacher and Researcher. He has published two novels, ''The Wolves of Pilovo'' and ''The 5th World'' He has been cited widely in the press (e.g. NY Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Der Stern) and interviewed twice on National Public Radio. He has appeared numerous times on TV. An intrepid traveler, he has visited over 100 countries. As a rite of passage at age 12, he takes each of his grandchildren on a two-week trip, alone.

Publications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coohill, Thomas 1941 births Living people 21st-century American biologists Western Kentucky University faculty