Richard Thompson (marine biologist)

For other people named Richard Thompson, see Richard Thompson (disambiguation).

Richard Thompson OBE FRS
Born	Richard C. Thompson
Alma mater	University of Newcastle (BSc) University of Liverpool (PhD)
Awards	Volvo Environment Prize (2022) [1]
Scientific career
Fields	Marine biology Microplastics
Institutions	University of Plymouth
Thesis	The Ecology of Epilithic Microalgae  (1996)

Richard Charles Thompson is a marine biologist who researches marine litter. At the University of Plymouth he is director of the Marine Institute; professor of Marine Biology; and leads the International Marine Litter Research Unit. Thompson coined the term "microplastics" in 2004. ^{[2] [3]} In 2025, Time magazine listed him as one of the world's 100 most influential people. ^[4]

Education

Thompson was educated at University of Newcastle and the University of Liverpool, where he was awarded a Ph.D in 1996.

Career and research

Thompson's paper, Lost at Sea: Where is All the Plastic?, ^[5] published in the journal Science in 2004, was the first to use the term microplastics, which has since become common parlance. ^{[6] [7] [8]}

Since 2010 he has been professor of Marine Biology at the University of Plymouth. ^[9] Since 2018 he has also been director of the Marine Institute, part of the School of Biological and Marine Sciences at the University. ^[9] He also leads the University's International Marine Litter Research Unit. ^{[10] [11]}

He is a co-coordinator of The Scientists' Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty, ^[12] and in September 2024 led a further study - also published in Science ^[13] - which stated that after two decades of research into microplastics, the world had sufficient evidence to agree global action to tackle them.

Publications

• Thompson, Richard. (2006). Plastics. In: Dominant Wave Theory. By Andrew Hughes. Pp. 112–116. London: Booth-Clibborn, 2006. ISBN   9781861542847. New York: Abrams, 2007. ISBN   9780810993099.
• "Marine Strategy Framework Directive: TaskGroup 10 Report: Marine Litter." Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2010. Galgani, F., Fleet, D., van Franeker, J., Katsanevakis, S., Maes, T., Mouat, J.Oosterbaan, L., Poitou, I., Hanke, G., Thompson, R., Amato, E., Birkun A., and Janssen, C. ISBN   978-92-79-15653-3.
• Marine Debris as a Global Environmental Problem: Introducing a solutions based framework focused on plastic: A STAP Information Document: November 2011. Washington, DC: Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel, Global Environment Facility, 2011. Richard C. Thompson, Bruce E. La Belle, Hindrik Bouwman, and Lev Neretin. Thompson was lead author.
• Impacts of Marine Debris on Biodiversity: Current status and Potential Solutions. CBD Technical Series No. 67. Montreal: Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity; Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel—GEF, 2012. ISBN   92-9225-444-8. Thompson was lead author.
• Readman, J.W., DeLuna, F. Ebinhaus, R., Guzman, A.N., Price A.R.G., Readman, E.E. Sheppard, A.L.S., Sleight, A.S. Strum, R. Thompson, R.C. Tonkin, A.Wolschke, H., Wright, R., and Sheppard, R.C. (2013) Coral Reefs of the World.
• Thompson, R.C. (2013) Plastics, Environment and Health. In: Accumulation: The Material Politics of Plastics. Edited by Gabrys, J., Hawkins, G. and Michael, M. Hardback: Routledge, 2013. ISBN   9780415625821. Paperback: Routledge, 2017. ISBN   9781138063068. Pp. 150–169.

Awards and honours

• 2016: Marsh Award for Marine and Freshwater Conservation from the Zoological Society of London and Marsh Christian Trust ^{[14] [15] [16]}
• 2018: Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2018 New Year Honours for services to marine science ^[17]
• 2020: Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) ^[18]
• Volvo Environment Prize (2022) ^[19]
• Blue Planet Prize (2023) ^[20]
• 2024: Thompson was named in Time's list of influential people in health. ^[21]

In 2016, Professor Thompson was referred to by Mary Creagh as "The Godfather of Microplastics" during a public inquiry into the Environmental Impact of Microplastics by the Environmental Audit Select Committee. ^[22] This moniker has since been repeated extensively by media outlets across the world. ^{[23] [24]}

References

1. "2022".
2. Buranyi, Stephen (31 December 2019). "The missing 99%: why can't we find the vast majority of ocean plastic?". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2020-01-02– via www.theguardian.com.
3. "Plastic pollution with Richard Thompson" on The Life Scientific, BBC Radio 4
4. "Richard Thompson: The 100 Most Influential People of 2025". TIME. 2025-04-16. Retrieved 2025-04-17.
5. Thompson, Richard C.; Olsen, Ylva; Mitchell, Richard P.; Davis, Anthony; Rowland, Steven J.; John, Anthony W. G.; McGonigle, Daniel; Russell, Andrea E. (2004). "Lost at Sea: Where is All the Plastic?". Science. 304 (5672): 838. doi:10.1126/science.1094559. PMID   15131299. S2CID   3269482.
6. Thompson, Andrea. "Earth Has a Hidden Plastic Problem—Scientists Are Hunting It Down". Scientific American. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
7. "To Save the Oceans, Should You Give Up Glitter?". National Geographic News. 30 November 2017. Archived from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
8. "Microplastic waste: This massive (tiny) threat to sea life is now in every ocean". The Independent. 13 July 2014. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
9. "Professor Richard Thompson OBE – University of Plymouth". www.plymouth.ac.uk. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
10. Maps, University of Plymouth Drake Circus Plymouth Devon PL4 8AA United Kingdom [phone]; vacancies, directions Visit us Job. "International Marine Litter Research Unit team". University of Plymouth. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
11. Richard Thompson on Twitter
12. "Scientist About Us". Ikhapp. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
13. Thompson, Richard C.; Courtene-Jones, Winnie; Boucher, Julien; Pahl, Sabine; Raubenheimer, Karen; Koelmans, Albert A. (2024). "Twenty years of microplastic pollution research—what have we learned?" . Science. 386 (6720). Bibcode:2024Sci...386L2746T. doi:10.1126/science.adl2746.
14. "World leader in microplastic research receives award from the Zoological Society of London". University of Plymouth. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
15. "Marsh Christian Trust – Marsh Award for Marine and Freshwater Conservation". www.marshchristiantrust.org. Archived from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
16. "Prestigious awards honour the stars of conservation science". British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums . Retrieved 2020-01-02.
17. "Professor Richard Thompson made an OBE for services to marine science". University of Plymouth. 29 December 2017. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
18. "Richard Thompson". Royal Society. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
19. "2022".
20. "Announcing the 2023 Blue Planet Prize Laureates".
21. "TIME100 Health". TIME. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
22. https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/71067776-e304-44e4-a18e-eda74c8b4bb2
23. Bryce, Emma (15 November 2023). "'We can't carry on': The godfather of microplastics on how to stop them". The Guardian.
24. "'Everywhere we looked we found evidence': The godfather of microplastics on 20 years of pollution research and the fight for global action". 3 May 2024.