Rik Thompson

Professor Rik Thompson is a leading academic in breast cancer research at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), holding positions in the Faculty of Health and School of Biomedical Sciences. His expertise includes Cancer Biology, Invasion and Metastasis, and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT). He has led major initiatives like the EMPathy Breast Cancer Program and the Centre for Personalised Analysis of Cancers (CPAC). His work focuses on breast cancer metastasis, mammographic density as a risk factor, and plasma medicine applications.

Education: PhD (Griffith University).
Research Interests: EMT dynamics, breast cancer metastasis, mammographic density mechanisms, and translational plasma medicine. He has pioneered studies on triple-negative breast cancer treatment using cold atmospheric plasma and investigates circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as markers of metastasis.

Key Contributions: Developed the 'within-woman' comparison strategy for mammographic density research and led national advocacy efforts through inforMD. His work on EMT has influenced clinical guidelines via COSA’s Breast Density Facts and Issues Statement.

Awards: Honorary Lifetime Member of the Australasian Genomics Technologies Association, ANZBCTG Board Directorship, and COSA Council Membership. His research spans over 150 peer-reviewed articles, emphasizing EMT, plasma medicine, and precision oncology.

Grants & Teams: Leads QUT@TRI research initiatives and collaborates with institutions like St. Vincent’s Institute and the Translational Research Institute. Supervises multiple PhD students in breast cancer and EMT research.

Labs/Teams: Involved in the Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health and CPAC network, fostering Brisbane-wide clinical-research partnerships for personalized cancer analysis.