Paul Thomson

Paul Thomson is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the School of Engineering, University of Western Australia (UWA), and a member of the UWA Oceans Institute. He specializes in marine microbial ecology, bio-optical instrumentation, and oceanography. His roles include leading research in glider bio-optical data mining and microbial community studies through the Australian National Facility for Ocean Gliders (ANFOG).

Research Interests: Focuses on marine microbes (phytoplankton, bacteria), picophytoplankton dynamics, and the application of ocean gliders for environmental monitoring. His work addresses factors influencing microbial distribution, including ocean acidification and bio-optical signals. Contributions align with UN Sustainable Development Goals related to life below water.

Grants & Projects:

• Ecology of picophytoplankton at IMOS National Reference Stations (CSIRO, 2014)
• Analysis of picophytoplankton in seawater (CSIRO, 2011)
• ROV imagery for marine ecosystems (UWA, 2017)

Current projects include marine microbial communities of the NW shelf, glider bio-optical signal analysis, and picoplankton abundance monitoring.

Awards: Received the 2023 UWA Research Awards Special Commendation for collaborative work on water plumes research.

Labs & Collaboration: Leads ANFOG glider operations and collaborates with institutions like CSIRO and the Australian Antarctic Division on microbial and oceanographic research.