Muslim

Tom is a Sunni Naqshbandi Sufi convert since 2012.  He has performed Umrah twice and is looking forward to Hajj, perhaps next year.  He writes and performs nashids in English as a hobby.  He has worked with his wife, Dr. Sadaf Shier, Muslim Chaplain at the University of St. Thomas, and Dr. Raquel Rodriguez to prepare materials to be used by preceptors and other College personnel to accommodate Muslim students.  He is a Professor in the Medicinal Chemistry Department, where he teaches biotechnology-derived drugs and nutrition and carries out research on the discovery and production of antibiotics.  His major contribution to that field was the discovery of a method to make modified antibiotics that has been used by others to produce doramectin and selamectin, which are approved for veterinary use.