Sylvia Wilson Thomas

Sylvia Wilson Thomas is an American engineer, researcher, professor, and academic administrator. She is known for her research on bio- and nanoelectronic device integration using advanced membrane and material systems for applications in healthcare, sustainability, and energy systems. She is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Early life and education Thomas, born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, earned her Bachelor of Science (1988) and Master of Engineering (1990) degrees in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University. She completed her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at Howard University in 1999, specializing in materials science of semiconductor elements and devices. Her dissertation focused on the optimization and characterization of aluminum nitride for ultraviolet detector applications.

Career Thomas worked at Bell Labs / Lucent Technologies and then moved to the University of South Florida. In 2021, she was appointed interim Vice President for Research & Innovation at USF; in 2024 she was permanently named to the position. As of 2025, she is president of and chief executive officer of University of South Florida Research Foundation and Research Park.

Research Thomas' work focuses on nanofiber systems, semiconductor materials, and bio-nano devices for drug delivery, sensing, and filtration. She holds patents for her work in biosensor technologies.

Awards and honors Black Engineer of the Year Award Educational Leadership Award, 2020 Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, 2020 Fellow, National Academy of Inventors, 2022 Top 50 Women Leaders in Education, 2023 Inductee, Florida Inventors Hall of Fame, 2024 Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science), 2025

Selected works