Dr. Ian Thornell is a physiologist whose research explores how diverse epithelial cell populations coordinate to regulate ion transport and maintain physiological homeostasis. His lab focuses on the biophysical properties of ion channels and transporters, with particular attention to their roles in pulmonary health and disease. A first-generation college graduate from Otisville in New York’s Hudson Valley, Dr. Thornell earned his Ph.D. in Physiology & Biophysics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham under Dr. Mark O. Bevensee and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Iowa under Dr. Michael J. Welsh.

Dr. Thornell currently serves as Chair of the Cell & Molecular Physiology Section of the American Physiological Society and is on the editorial board of AJP–Cell Physiology. His work is supported by multiple NIH and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation grants, and he has authored numerous impactful publications on epithelial ion transport and cystic fibrosis.

Outside the lab, Ian enjoys basketball and baseball, cooking (“science you can eat”), and playing music (“math that makes noise”).