Dr. Khalil Thomson
In celebration of the Black History Month, we interviewed Dr. Khalil Thomson who is a postdoctoral research associate working with Dr. Susan Perlman (Laboratory of Child Brain Development) in the Department of Psychiatry. Khalil is also the current president of the Washington University Black Postdoctoral Society (BPA). We asked him about his scientific journey, what Black History Month means to him, as well as what we can do to celebrate and remember. We also talked about some of his favorite black businesses in St. Louis, as well as some TV shows he would recommend. To learn more about Khalil’s work, check out his latest work in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry here.
1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. What kind of work do you do as a postdoc?
I’m interested in identifying some of the neural mechanisms that contribute to the normative expression of social decision making, various aspects of social behavior in young children, seeing how they develop, and seeing what might contribute to social dysfunction and its expression in a number of different psychiatric disorders. My primary project at the moment focuses on understanding how divorce as an environmental factor can impact the trajectory of a child’s social and neurodevelopment, which may manifest in the form of various psychopathologies. I use a brain monitoring technique called fNIRS (functional near-infrared spectroscopy) hyperscanning which allows us to model the social environment as much as possible while mapping the brain interconnectivity networks between the social partners (parent and the child in this case).
2. What got you interested in this type of research?
I grew up knowing several family members with mental illness on my mother’s side of the family. Studying and understanding what contributes to the deterioration of the mind always fascinated me, because I wanted to help and assist my family members, or at least provide them with the information that they need to be able to successfully navigate their own lives. I also took a psychology 101 class in high school, and I became more interested in basic questions concerning psychology, like how people can perceive the same scenes or events in completely different ways.
After graduating from high school in Sacramento, CA, I went to Xavier University of Louisiana, a HBCU located in New Orleans. After my freshman year I did a medical based summer program at Yale University, and that experience solidified for me that I really wanted to take the graduate school route. I spent my next summers doing research programs. My sophomore year, I was at UC Davis working in a wet lab in biology, and I realized I didn’t really like wet lab work that much. After my junior year, I was at the University of Florida working with Dr. Marcelo Febo in University of Florida, who used a class of recreational drugs called bath salts to create an animal model of schizophrenia and imaged the animals in a 11 Tesla scanner to see how this disrupted their neural functional activity over a certain period. It was just a very fascinating experience for me and this kind of solidified my interest in doing neuroimaging research.
I graduated with a degree in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry, and then decided to pursue a graduate degree in Neuroscience at Georgia State University. My research then focused on applying economic exchange task paradigms to study adults with social anxiety disorder, specifically how people with social anxiety might react to instances of betrayal or “exploitation.” While working on my thesis, it became very apparent to me that it’s much easier to intervene in the trajectory and the development of the disorder if you’re intervening when the individual is much younger, as opposed to when they’re an adult. So I made a transition from working with adults to working with a younger population as a postdoc.
3. What does Black History month mean to you?
Firstly recognition, and then obviously triumph. It’s acknowledgement of the fact that the average black Americans are looking to make ends meet, just like everyone else. And that the story of the Black American in this country oftentimes has been distorted to perpetuate very damaging stereotypes and stigmas, even though we’ve contributed to some of the most critical advancements that this country has seen. This is a time when we’re able to really remember, commemorate, and celebrate such accomplishments. It’s also the time to educate the broader public on why there are still some present-day disparities that continue to plague certain aspects of the black community today.
4. Have you personally faced any challenges and biases as a black scientist, and how have you overcome them?
Being a black man in the field of neuroscience and neuroimaging can be very daunting. Affiliating with peers and colleagues within the field can be challenging because you might not initially be given the same kind of respect other white or more respected minority colleagues might receive. Even during my interview process for postdoctoral positions and industry positions I had people who were initially skeptical of my abilities because of my background. And it wasn’t until I fully elaborated upon the work I was doing in the lab when they were more so convinced. I’m lucky to say that Dr. Perlman and the rest of my mentors during my academic career have always given me the time and opportunity to really present and prove what I’m capable of in the lab space, and let me know that I’m capable of much more than what is currently circumscribed for black men in this country.
5. What is something that us postdocs can do, both in and out of the lab, to commemorate Black History Month or just black history in general. And it doesn’t have to be like just this month.
Support black-owned businesses in the area! Saint Louis has one of the larger black populations in the entire country, and there’s no shortage of black-owned businesses that you can go to support. Some of my favorites are Afro Blu in downtown that sells Afrocentric/inspired wares like clothing, trinkets, paintings and so on; Chez Ali, a Afro-Caribbean stand in City Foundry; and Gourmet Soul in downtown that sells incredible soul food. Also, visit museums that commemorate and immortalize black history, like The Griot Museum of Black History and the National Blues Museum. Finally, attend campus events commemorating Black History Month. I am currently the President of the Black Postdoctoral Association, and we’re a very young organization in our second year of existence, but we are doing the best that we can in order to expand awareness of the organization and the activities of our Black or African colleagues and what they’re doing on campus.
6. If there is one piece of artwork like book or TV show or movie or even a documentary that highlights like history, what would you like to, you know, like suggest?
I would highly recommend High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America, and Amend: The Fight for America. They’re both available on Netflix. These highlight the struggles of the black community in this country and the continual fight for our recognition and rights in this country.
7. What advice would you like to give to other young aspiring black scientists?
You will probably encounter detractors from both outside and inside your community when it comes to what it is that you can do and accomplish as a black man or woman in this country, and what it means to truly be black. Unfortunately, really pursuing your education tends to be not something that is highly valued in certain segments of the community. Never let anyone pin you into a box. There’s so many things that you could do and you can accomplish if you put your mind into them. Also take the time to decompress and unwind. Self-care is just as important as scholarly excellence. A little bit of time away in order to manage your own affairs will help you get back to crushing the lab space like you usually do.
8. What do you like to do outside of work, collegial, and how do you decompress?
I’m a very avid gamer! I’m really into Destiny 2 right now, and I’ve always been a fan of the Madden series. Speaking of which, I’m also just like a big football fan (Go Eagles! Although they did not make the Super Bowl this year…). I also love going to the gym and making sure I’m trying to stay as fit as I possibly can. I do enjoy being in the outdoors – when the weather is nice and hospitable. Lastly, I listen to copious amounts of music as well: hip hop, R&B, soul, a little bit of reggae, and Afrobeats.
9. Who’s your favorite artist?
My current favorite Hip Hop artist is Nas – he’s contributed so much to Hip Hop. My favorite soul group to this day is The Isley Brothers. I saw them in Sacramento State Fair this last summer, that was very exciting for me.
10. Anything else you would like to say before we wrap up the interview?
I am always happy to discuss Black history and Black experience! Feel free to contact me at khalilt@wustl.edu if you would like to chat.
Interviewed by Yu Seon Kim, PhD
Edited by Outreach Committee 2023-2024.