A photograph of Ken Thompson immediately before he was frightened by a large herd of cattle.

2021–Present | Human Frontier Science Program Long-Term Fellow in Plant Evolutionary Genomics | Stanford University & Carnegie Institution for Science

2016-2021 | PhD in Zoology | University of British Columbia

2010-2014 | B.Sc. in Biodiversity Studies | University of Guelph

Ken is an evolutionary ecologist who studies speciation through the lens of hybridization. He is interested in determining how ecological factors such as pollination or water stress exert selection on hybrids. In particular, he aims to understand the genetic architecture of ecology-based selection on hybrids. To this end, Ken uses a variety of techniques—from computer simulations to field experiments—and systems—from stickleback fish to plants in the genus, Penstemon. Ken is co-supervised by Molly Schumer, whose lab uses genomic tools to study hybridization.