We are pleased to announce that the Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of sciences and the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence, has elected Dr. Elizabeth Thompson as a Fellow. She was selected for her substantial contributions to the advancement of science and for her work in the area of Statistics which has had a beneficial influence on the world.
Dr. Thompson received her Ph.D. in mathematical statistics from Cambridge University, UK. After postdoctoral work at Stanford University, USA, she was faculty in the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, University of Cambridge from 1976-85. She then became professor in the Department of Statistics, University of Washington, where she served as Chair, 1989-1994 and 2011-2014, and is now emeritus faculty.
Dr. Thompson's research is in the development of methods for model-based likelihood inference from genetic data, particularly data observed on large and complex pedigree structures both of humans and of other species, including inference of descent of genome and of relationships among individuals and among populations.
Dr. Thompson is a recipient of a Doctor of Science degree from the University of Cambridge, the Jerome Sacks award for cross-disciplinary research, and the Weldon Prize for contributions to Biometric Science. She is an honorary fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge, an honorary Life Member of the International Biometric Society, an elected member of the International Statistical Institute, of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and of the US National Academy of Sciences.