Michael Thompson (academic)

{{Short description|British academic}}

{{For|the mathematician|J. Michael T. Thompson}}

{{BLP sources|date=July 2011}}

Sir Michael Warwick Thompson (born 1 June 1931),{{cite web|title=Birthday's today|url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/archive/2011-6-1.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110603060138/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/archive/2011-6-1.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= 3 June 2011 |publisher=The Telegraph|accessdate=31 May 2014|date=1 June 2011|quote=Prof Sir Michael Thompson, Vice–Chancellor and Principal, University of Birmingham, 1987–96, 80 }} is a British academic, who served as vice-chancellor of the Universities of East Anglia and Birmingham.

He was educated at the University of Liverpool, where he graduated with a first in physics. He was a D.Sc. in physics in 1963 from the University of Liverpool. His academic work included early research on atomic collisions in solids.[https://books.google.com/books?id=XLjBk4PaEvoC&dq=%22Michael+Thompson%22+vice-chancellor&pg=PR8 Ion Beams in Nanoscience and Technology], p. viii (editor's note) (2009)({{ISBN|978-3642006227}})

He was appointed Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Sussex in 1965, and remained at Sussex for a further 15 years, during which time he served as pro-vice-chancellor and acting vice-chancellor of the university. In 1980 he was appointed vice-chancellor of the University of East Anglia,Sanderson, Michael. [https://books.google.com/books?id=50HjSi5o8J0C&q=michael+thompson The history of the University of East Anglia, Norwich], p.301 (2003) ({{ISBN|978-1852853365}}) and remained in the post until 1987 when he was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, retiring in 1996. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, and was knighted in 1991. He is a member of the Athenaeum Club. He also once had Dinner with Oppenheimer.

His son Paul Thompson is currently Chair of the British Council.