[5] Thompson completed her Ph.D. in 1991 at Durham University with a thesis entitled The magnetic properties of plastically deformed steels.
[7] By working on the nanoscale, it is possible to manipulate the electron, which is the ultimate nano-magnet, and thereby design new functional magnetic materials with practical uses and to explore the underpinning physics.
She was a speaker at CUWiP UK in 2017 at Oxford,[5] and in 2020 was part of the organising committee for the event when it was held at York.
[9] Under her direction as Head, the Department of Physics at York received an Athena Swan Charter Silver award in 2012 in recognition of their support for women in science.
[7] She also served on Strategic Advisory Teams of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council for a total of nine years.