Research Areas:
Stem Cell Biology, Muscle Stem Cell Aging, Muscular Dystrophies, Tissue Engineering and Basic Muscle Cell Biology

Prof. Thomas Rando received his PhD in Cell Biology from Harvard University in 1987. He has been affiliated with the Stanford University since 1991, starting as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Molecular Pharmacology until 1994. He is currently the Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences and the Director of the Paul F Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging at Stanford University. He is also the Deputy Director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, the Chief of Neurology of Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research and the Director of the Rehabilitation Research & Development Center of Excellence of the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Prof. Rando’s main areas of research include stem cell biology (myogenic lineage progression, cell fate determination, asymmetric cell divisions, notch signaling and Wnt signaling), muscle stem cell aging (epigenetic determinants, local and systemic influences, roles in age-related decline in regeneration and age-related atrophy), muscular dystrophies (disease pathogenesis, biomarkers and non-invasive imaging), tissue engineering (artificial scaffolds and regenerative therapies) and basic muscle cell biology (myogenic differentiation and muscle development).

Prof. Rando received numerous awards including the Director’s Transformative Research Award (2013) and the Director’s Pioneer Award (2005) from the US National Institutes of Health, the Senior Scholar Award In Aging from the Ellison Medical Foundation (2004) and the Paul Beeson Physician Faculty Scholar in Aging from the American Federation for Aging Research (1999). He is a member of several professional societies, including the American Neurological Association. In 2020, he was elected a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.