Research Areas:
Sensorimotor Control of Movement in Animals, Nature Inspired Technologies and Biomechanics

Dr. Tom Daniel received his BS and MS from the University of Wisconsin and his PhD from Duke University. Prior to joining the University of Washington (UW) in 1984, he was the Bantrell Postdoctoral Fellow in Engineering Sciences at the California Institute of Technology. In UW, he held the Joan and Richard Komen Endowed Chair of Biology and adjunct appointments in Computer Science and Engineering and in Bioengineering. In 2000-2008, he was the founding chair of the Department of Biology. Since October 2022, he has been appointed the CEO of the Washington Research Foundation to lead the Foundation’s strategic planning, programs, grant-making and investment affairs.

Dr. Daniel has a rich history in the research on biomechanics and sensory systems, particularly on neurons and neuronal networks. At UW, he and his team focused on a range of research projects aimed at reverse engineering flight control in Manduca sexta. He had been involved in editorials for several renowned academic journals, such as Science, PLoS Computational Biology, and Biology Letters.

Dr. Daniel has been recognized for his scholarly contribution by a number of honors, including the Guggenheim Fellowship (2013), the MacArthur Fellowship (also known as the "Genius Award”) (1996-2001), and a number of teaching awards at UW. He has been a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and serves also on the Federal Advisory Committee for the Biological Sciences Directorate of the National Science Foundation and on the Board of Directors and the Scientific Advisory Board of the Allen Institute of Brain Science.