Andrew Stuart Thompson (born 3 June 1968) is a British historian and academic. He specialises in modern British history, Imperialism, and the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

. Since September 2019, he has been Professor of Global Imperial History at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

and a

Professorial Fellow A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a pr ...

Nuffield College, Oxford Nuffield College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is a graduate college and specialises in the social sciences, particularly economics, politics and sociology. Nuffield is one of Oxford's newer c ...

. He previously taught at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

and the

University of Exeter , mottoeng = "We Follow the Light" , established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter) , type = Public , ...

. He was Executive Chair of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) from 2018 to 2020, having previously been its chief executive on a part-time basis.

Early life and education

Thompson was born on 3 June 1968 in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. He was educated at

Loughborough Grammar School , religion = Christian , head_label = Headmaster , head = Dr Daniel Koch , r_head_label = Chaplain , r_head = Revd E J York , chair_label = Chairman ...

, an all-boys independent school in

Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England, the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and Loughborough University. At the 2011 census the town's built-up area had a population of 59,932 , the second large ...

, Leicestershire. He studied modern history at

Regent's Park College, Oxford Regent's Park College (known colloquially within the university as Regent's) is a permanent private hall of the University of Oxford, situated in central Oxford, just off St Giles'. Founded in 1810, the college moved to its present site in ...

, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1990; as per tradition, this was promoted to a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

(MA Oxon) degree in 1991. He then undertook

postgraduate research Postgraduate research represents a formal area of study that is recognized by a university or institute of higher learning. By definition, the notion of “postgraduate” (United States) carries the implication that the candidate undertaking such ...

, under the supervision of John Darwin. He completed his Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degree in 1994 with a

doctoral thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

on ''Thinking imperially?: Imperial pressure groups and the idea of Empire in late-Victorian and Edwardian Britain''.

Academic career

Thompson began his career as a tutorial fellow in modern history at

Corpus Christi College, Oxford Corpus Christi College (formally, Corpus Christi College in the University of Oxford; informally abbreviated as Corpus or CCC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1517, it is the 12t ...

, between 1993 and 1997. He joined the

as a lecturer in 1997. He was Professor of Imperial and Global History at the University of Leeds from 2005 to 2011. He was additionally its Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research between 2009 and 2011. From 2011 to 2017, he was Professor of Modern History at the

. He moved to the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

in September 2019, where he had been appointed Professor of Global Imperial History and elected a

. From December 2015 until March 2017, Thompson served as interim chief executive of the

Arts and Humanities Research Council The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), formerly Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB), is a British research council, established in 1998, supporting research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities. History The Arts ...

(AHRC). He was then selected to continue as its CEO, serving until his appointment as Executive Chair in 2018. He stepped down from that role in August 2020. Thompson was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to research.

Publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Andrew 1968 births Living people 20th-century British historians 21st-century British historians Historians of the British Empire People from Mansfield People educated at Loughborough Grammar School Alumni of Regent's Park College, Oxford Alumni of Nuffield College, Oxford Fellows of Nuffield College, Oxford Academics of the University of Leeds Academics of the University of Exeter Commanders of the Order of the British Empire