Professor Rik Thompson

Biography

 Professor Rik Thompson was elected to the Breast Cancer Trials Board of Directors in July 2017. He is a Professor in Breast Cancer Research at the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI), Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Associate Director of IHBI at the Translational Research Institute (TRI), Brisbane. After postdoctoral training in breast cancer invasion and metastasis at NIH, and the Lombardi Cancer Research Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, USA, he was Group Leader for Invasion and Metastasis at St Vincent’s Institute, Melbourne in the Victorian Breast Cancer Research Consortium. Rik was the founding Vice President of The International EMT Association (TEMTIA) in 2003, was President 2013-2015, and convened the 2015 International TEMTIA meeting in Melbourne, Australia. He was the founding President of AMATA (now the Australasian Genomic Technologies Association) in 2004, was President of the Matrix Biology Society of Australia and New Zealand (2000-2003), and President Elect (2008-2010) and then President (2010-2012) of the international Metastasis Research Society (MRS). He convened the 12th International Congress of MRS in Brisbane, Australia in 2012, and at that time co-created OzMRS – An Australasian Chapter of MRS, which is an Affiliated Group in COSA.

Research Interest

 Professor Rik Thompson was elected to the Breast Cancer Trials Board of Directors in July 2017. He is a Professor in Breast Cancer Research at the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI), Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Associate Director of IHBI at the Translational Research Institute (TRI), Brisbane. After postdoctoral training in breast cancer invasion and metastasis at NIH, and the Lombardi Cancer Research Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, USA, he was Group Leader for Invasion and Metastasis at St Vincent’s Institute, Melbourne in the Victorian Breast Cancer Research Consortium. Rik was the founding Vice President of The International EMT Association (TEMTIA) in 2003, was President 2013-2015, and convened the 2015 International TEMTIA meeting in Melbourne, Australia. He was the founding President of AMATA (now the Australasian Genomic Technologies Association) in 2004, was President of the Matrix Biology Society of Australia and New Zealand (2000-2003), and President Elect (2008-2010) and then President (2010-2012) of the international Metastasis Research Society (MRS). He convened the 12th International Congress of MRS in Brisbane, Australia in 2012, and at that time co-created OzMRS – An Australasian Chapter of MRS, which is an Affiliated Group in COSA.