At university, she wanted to study statistics, but there was no program in that subject, so she enrolled into a bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics.
She worked in the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in its Applied Mathematics Division.
She learned statistics on the job, and used an Elliott 503, the first scientific computer in New Zealand, to perform her analyses.
[1][2] The book tells the stories of 40 New Zealand women for whom a knowledge of statistics or mathematics had enabled a career or lifestyle.
[1] Thompson's publications with the Applied Mathematics Division concerned topics ranging from earthquakes to horticulture.