He is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of psychology at the University of California, Davis, and is director of the Social & Emotional Development Lab.

He also worked at the Child Development Project, a pioneering clinical and research unit focused on understanding and treating very early mental health problems.

Thompson was a Visiting Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Education in (West) Berlin in 1985, studying life-span developmental psychology with Paul Baltes.

In 1984, Thompson was a Fellow at the Summer Institute on Individual Development and Social Change at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University.

[6] He contributed to creating the university's Center for Poverty and Inequality Research and served on its executive committee for many years.

Thompson also regularly consults with PBS KIDS and WGBH-Boston on the development of social-emotional programming for young children.

He has testified before Congress and state legislatures,[9] lectured internationally, given many keynote speeches and named lectureships, and consulted with public agencies, nonprofits, and private foundations.