Elizabeth A. Thompson facts for kids

Elizabeth Alison Thompson, born on May 22, 1949, is a very smart scientist. She was born in Britain but is now an American citizen. She is a statistician at the University of Washington. A statistician is someone who uses math to understand information and data.

Professor Thompson's main work is about using information from our DNA (our genes). She uses this data to figure out how people and groups of people are related to each other. From 2017 to 2018, she was the president of the International Biometric Society. This is a group for scientists who use math and statistics in biology.

Elizabeth Thompson's Education and Career

Early Studies and Degrees

Elizabeth Thompson went to Newnham College, Cambridge, a famous university in England. In 1970, she earned top honors in her math studies. This was part of a special program called the mathematical tripos.

The next year, in 1971, she completed a special diploma in mathematical statistics. She continued her studies at Cambridge. In 1974, she earned her Ph.D. in statistics. Her main teacher and guide for her Ph.D. was A. W. F. Edwards.

Moving to America

After finishing her Ph.D., Professor Thompson did more research at Stanford University in the United States. This is called postdoctoral studies. Then, she returned to Cambridge. She became a teacher of mathematics and statistics. She also became a fellow at King's College, Cambridge.

In 1981, she became a fellow at Newnham College, where she had studied before. In 1985, she moved to the University of Washington in the United States. She joined the Department of Statistics there. In 1988, she also started working with the Department of Biostatistics. Biostatistics is about using statistics to study health and biology. In 1997, she became a citizen of the United States.

Awards and Special Honors

Recognitions for Her Work

Elizabeth Thompson has received many important awards and honors for her work. In 1988, her old university, Cambridge, gave her an honorary doctorate. This is a special degree given to people who have done great things. In 2013, she became an honorary fellow of Newnham College.

In 1998, she was chosen to be a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This is a group of very smart people who are leaders in their fields. In 2008, she joined the National Academy of Sciences. This is one of the highest honors a scientist in the U.S. can receive.

Most recently, in 2023, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very old and respected group of scientists in the United Kingdom. She was also the Carnegie Centenary Professor at the University of St Andrews in 2017.