Rate My Professor Ross Thompson

Professor Ross Thompson holds the Dame Carolyn Burns Chair in Freshwater Science in the Department of Zoology at the University of Otago, a position he took up in 2025. A University of Otago alumnus, he completed his BSc (Hons) in Zoology in 1997 and PhD in 2001 under the supervision of Professor Colin Townsend. His career includes a postdoctoral fellowship at the Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia (2003–2005), Lecturer and Senior Lecturer positions at Monash University (2005–2012), and progressive leadership roles at the University of Canberra: Professor and Chair of Water Science (2012–2020), Director of the Institute for Applied Ecology (2015–2018), Foundation Director of the Centre for Applied Water Science (2020–2025), and Deputy-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise. He previously served as President of the Australian Freshwater Sciences Society (2015–2018), sat on the Australian Research Council College of Experts (2015–2018) and New Zealand Marsden Panel (2016–2018), and was the inaugural Carolyn Burns Visiting Fellow at Otago in 2023.

Thompson is a freshwater ecologist specializing in community and ecosystem ecology, with a core focus on food-web dynamics. His research investigates assembly rules for natural communities and impacts of anthropogenic stressors including urbanisation, land clearance, pharmaceutical contamination, biological invasions, river flow management, climate change, and multiple pressures on streams, lakes, wetlands, and large rivers. Applied work emphasizes river restoration, biodiversity in human-impacted landscapes, Indigenous knowledge integration, and the science-policy nexus, particularly in Australia's Murray-Darling Basin through collaborations with government, industry, and iwi. Notable publications include 'Predator traits determine food-web architecture across ecosystems' (Brose et al., Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2019), 'Principles for scientists working at the river science-policy interface' (Thompson et al., River Research and Applications, 2022), and books/chapters such as 'Aquatic Food Webs in Rivers' (Encyclopedia of Inland Waters, 2022) and 'Drought, disturbance and river resilience in the southern Murray-Darling Basin' (2024). Awards encompass the Hilary Jolly Medal (Australian Freshwater Sciences Society, 2021), GN Alexander Medal (Engineers Australia, 2021), Charles Elton Prize (British Ecological Society, 2006), Australian Water Association Research and Development Award (2024), and multiple University of Canberra research excellence awards. He has contributed editorially to journals including Freshwater Biology (2008–2019) and holds extensive committee experience.