Dr. Jeffrey S. Thompson grew up in the state of Tennessee and attended the University of California, Los Angeles where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in physics. He received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Tennessee and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics at the University of Colorado.
In 1991, he joined the faculty in the Physics Department at the University of Nevada, Reno, at which time he started a research laboratory in experimental atomic and molecular physics. He served as Physics Department Chair and Associate Dean of the College of Science prior to becoming Dean of the College of Science in 2008. In 2020, he was appointed to his current role, Acting Executive Vice President and Provost at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Dr. Thompson has been married to his wife, Michele, since 1985. They have two adult sons who also live in Reno.