He was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1937 for his work at Aberdeen in discovering the wave-like properties of the electron.

[3] By scattering electrons through thin metallic films (3 × 10−6 cm thick) with known crystal structures, such as aluminium, gold and platinum, Thomson found the dimensions of the observed diffraction patterns.

In each case, his observed diffractions were within 5 per cent of the predicted values given by de Broglie's wave theory.

One of their sons, Sir John Thomson (1927–2018), became a senior diplomat who served as High Commissioner to India (1977–82) and Permanent Representative to the United Nations (1982–87).

Their grandson Sir Adam Thomson (born 1955) also became a senior diplomat, serving as High Commissioner to Pakistan (2010–2013) and as Permanent Representative to NATO (2014–2016).

One daughter, Lillian Clare Thomson, married the South African economist and mountaineer Johannes de Villiers Graaff.