About

Dr. Claus A. Thomas is Director of Research, Partnerships and Community Service at SFUCHAS and a Lecturer in Microbiology. A microbiologist and public health researcher, he works on One Health, zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance and community-based surveillance for pandemic preparedness. He holds a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Antwerp and Sokoine University of Agriculture, and was an ARUA-Mastercard Foundation postdoctoral fellow at Makerere University School of Public Health (2026). He leads SFUCHAS's role in the EU Erasmus+ BRIDGE project and the health agenda of the Belmont Water-Energy-Food-Health Nexus project, chairs the institutional ethics committee, and mentors undergraduate, MSc and PhD researchers.

Positions

• Director and Lecturer of Microbiology Head Directorate of Research, Partnerships and Community Services

Qualifications

• PhD in Microbiology, University of Antwerp (Belgium) and Sokoine University of Agriculture (Tanzania), 2024
• MSc in Applied Microbiology, Sokoine University of Agriculture, 2019
• Diploma in Global Health Leadership and Management, University of Washington, 2026
• BSc in Education (Chemistry & Biology), Mwenge Catholic University, 2017

Research & expertise

Research interests

• Rodent-borne zoonoses
• Pandemic preparedness and response, Antimicrobial resistance surveillance
• Community-based surveillance for outbreaks
• Helminth infections in wildlife-human interfaces
• Community-based public health

Areas of expertise

• Microbiology
• One Health
• Zoonotic diseases
• Antimicrobial resistance
• Community-based surveillance
• Pandemic preparedness and response

Memberships & honours

Professional memberships

• Tanzania Public Health Association (TPHA)
• Antimicrobial Resistance Club (AMR Club)

Awards and honours

• FWO Flanders PhD Research Fund
• ACE II-IRPM & BTD PhD Scholarship
• ACE II-IRPM & BTD Masters Scholarship