Robert Thacker's Biography

Robert Thacker, Imaging Sales and Applications Specialist, Cytek Biosciences

Dr. Robert Thacker is an imaging specialist for Cytek Biosciences, working specifically with the Amnis imaging flow cytometry systems. Rob is currently responsible for managing new imaging instrument sales and post-sales support in 18 states in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions and 2 Canadian provinces. Major accounts include the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. He started his current position in 2014, after supporting the technology for 2 years as a field applications scientist.

Rob has an undergraduate degree in microbiology (BS, Brigham Young University 2004), but focused on dendritic cell biology and how dendritic cells activate various types of immune responses for his graduate and post-doctoral work (PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2008; Post-doctoral training, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, 2008-2012). Rob’s graduate research investigated the role of fibrinogen in immune cell activation, cancer metastasis, and the enhancement of vaccine formulations. Post-doctoral research studied the mechanisms behind the presentation of both viral and cell-associated antigens. Utilizing Amnis imaging in flow during his post-doctoral research, Rob specifically investigated the uptake, internalization and trafficking of apoptotic tumor cells within various dendritic cell subsets to understand how a better and more specific anti-tumor response might be achieved. It was this work that led him to be hired by MilliporeSigma in 2012 as an Amnis applications scientist, a position that evolved into his current role as imaging specialist for the same technology that now is a part of Cytek Biosciences.