Dr. Alison Thompson

Employment and Training

• Full Professor: tenured, Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University, as of July 2009.

• Faculty of Science Killam Professor: Dalhousie University, 2012-2017.

• Associate Professor: tenured, Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University, 2006-2009.

• Assistant Professor: tenure-track, Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University, 2001-2006.

• Post-Doctoral Fellow: Dr. D. Dolphin, Department of Chemistry, UBC, 1997-2001.

• Post-Doctoral Fellow: Prof. A. Solladié-Cavallo, Ecole de Chimie, Strasbourg, France, 1996-1997.

• Ph.D. Chemistry: Sulfur Mediated Asymmetric and Catalytic Epoxidation and Aziridination – University of Sheffield, UK, 1993-1996.

• B.Sc. Chemistry (Honours), University of Leicester, UK, 1990-1993.

Selected Achievements and Activities

Honours

• Montréal Medal, Chemical Institute of Canada, 2021

• Canada Research Chair Tier 1 in Pyrrole Chemistry for Chemical Biology and Energy, 2020-2027

• Clara Benson Award, Canadian Society for Chemistry, 2020

• Science Atlantic Chemistry Speaker Tour Awardee, 2019/20

• Association of Atlantic Universities Anne Marie MacKinnon Educational Leadership Award, 2019

• Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK), 2018

• Association of Atlantic Universities Teaching Retreat Invitee, 2018

• Recipient of the 2018 Dalhousie Alumni Association Faculty Award of Excellence for Teaching.

• Recipient of the 2018 Dalhousie Award for Excellence in Graduate Supervision.

• Senior Scientist, Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute: recognizing the role of pyrrole-based synthetic and medicinal chemistry in aspects of health research, 2013-.

• Faculty of Science Killam Professor 2012-2017: research prize to mark achievements, excellence and promise in science research, Dalhousie University.

• 2015 Chemistry Professor of the Year Award: selected by final year undergraduates at Dalhousie for achievements dedicated to teaching.

• 2014 Change One Thing Challenge Award: teaching methods prize, Dalhousie.

• Top 40 Under 40 National Short-list 2010/2011: program for Canada’s young leaders.

Recent professional activities

• Program Director: NSERC CREATE Training Program in BioActivies, 2018-2024.

• Guest Editor: Canadian Journal of Chemistry special issue for Dahousie’s 200th anniversary, 2018.

• Chair: CSC Organic Division, 2017-2018.

• Group Chair: NSERC Discovery Grant 1504 Chemistry Evaluation Group, 2017-2020.

• Member: NSERC Committee on Discovery Research, 2017-2020.
  
  

Selected community contributions

• Soapbox Science: co-organizer for the first Soapbox Science event in Halifax (June 2018).

• Chair of the SuperNOVA Board of Advisors: not-for-profit science and engineering camps and workshops, >8,000 youth annually, member 2003-2015; Chair of the Board since February 2015.

• Rhodes Scholars Selection Committee: selects two Rhodes Scholars from the Maritimes 2017-.

• Halifax Support Group for People Who Stutter: Chair, 2004-present.
  
  

Selected research presentations

• Empowering Diversity in Science. UPAC Global Women's Breakfast, Working for Inclusivity in Chemical Sciences, University of Manitoba (invited talk, virtual), 2021

• Metal Complexes of Pyrrolide and Dipyrrinato Ligands. Innovative Uses of Metals in Biology and Medicine symposium, Canadian Chemistry Conference/IUPAC meeting (Clara Benson Award, invited talk), 2021

• Pyrroles and (Poly)Pyrroles. University of Saskatchewan (invited talk, virtual), 2021

• Creating Successful Chemistry. Canadian Society for Chemistry Annual General Meeting (invited talk, virtual), 2020

• Pyrroles and (Poly)Pyrroles. Simon Fraser University (invited talk), 2020

• Critical Hope. Association of Atlantic Universities Teaching Showcase (plenary), Charlottetown, Canada, 2019

• Journey from Silence to Rally Call. Association of Atlantic Universities Presidents, and the President of Universities Canada (invited speaker), Fredericton, Canada, 2019

• How (Not) to Stand Out (invited talk in symposium entitled Making Canadian Chemistry Stronger through Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). 102nd Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition, Quebec City, Canada, 2019

Biography

After her B.Sc. (Hons. Class I, University of Leicester, UK), Alison Thompson received her Ph.D. from the University of Sheffield, UK for developing asymmetric aziridination and epoxidation methodology with Professor Varinder Aggarwal. After a year as a Royal Society/NATO postdoctoral fellow in Strasbourg, France, she joined Professor David Dolphin’s group at the University of British Columbia where she first became involved in chemistry involving pyrroles. In that role, among her research projects Alison led a team that provided a scaled, totally synthetic route to protoporphyrin IX, key as back-up to the launch of the Canadian success story Visudyne (verteporfin) by QLT Inc.

In 2001 Alison took a position as Assistant Professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, securing an NSERC University Faculty Award. She quickly moved through the ranks to be promoted to full professor in 2009. Her contributions have been recognized via the Canada Research Chair Tier 1 in Pyrrole Chemistry for Chemical Biology and Energy, the Dalhousie Award for Excellence in Graduate Supervision, the Dalhousie Alumni Association Faculty Award of Excellence for Teaching, the Association of Atlantic Universities Anne Marie MacKinnon Educational Leadership Award, and the CSC Clara Benson Award. Alison has served on the CSC Accreditation Committee, the CSC Organic Division Executive, and the NSERC Chemistry Evaluation Group for Discovery Grants. Alison is heavily involved with the non-profit SuperNOVA, helping to fund and enable hands-on STEM programming to >16,000 youth annually including >40% rural, low-income, newcomer, African-Canadian, Indigenous and hospitalized youth.

Alison’s research involves the design, chemical synthesis and application of structures based upon pyrroles, dipyrrins and prodigiosins. Given the intricacies inherent to working with the electron-rich pyrrolic motif, much of Alison’s research is dedicated to the development of methodology applicable to the incorporation of two or more of pyrroles into chemical species of use in chemical biology and as novel species with pharmaceutical potential. Her contributions developing synthetic methods of relevance to medicinal chemistry have been recognized by provincial health research organizations, charitable organizations and via receipt of multiple CIHR grants. As principal applicant, Alison has held research operating funding from NSERC, CIHR, the Nova Scotia Research Innovation Trust, the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Insititute, the Breast Cancer Society of Canada and the QEII Hospital Research Fund. a CIHR-funded team comprising Membertou First Nation community members, scientists and clinicians (Dalhousie/CBU/NSCC/CBRH) will investigate components and medicinal benefits of Maskwiomin, a traditional salve sourced from birch bark.

The Thompson group is a world leader in the synthesis of analogues of prodigiosin, a natural product containing a dipyrrin and a pyrrolic unit. Prodigiosenes are designed and synthesized to exhibit anticancer, antimicrobial and antimalarial properties while minimizing undesirable general toxicity. A major achievement is the 100-fold reduction in toxicity of synthetic prodigiosenes vs. the parent natural product. One project includes conjugating the prodigiosene pharmacophore to directing units. Another project involves optimizing the photodynamic therapeutic activity of synthetic prodigiosenes, and the light-activated bioactivity, at the expense of unwanted dark activity. Other applications involve probing mechanisms through which the parent natural product effects HCl transport leading to apoptosis. The Thompson group research also involves the development of new methods for the synthesis of dipyrrolic BODIPYs, popular tunable fluorescent probes seeing increasing use as sensors or tags in molecular biology. Through this work, new types of BODIPYs are synthetically available. Furthermore, synthetic design with pyrroles and complexes thereof, is leading to new metal-based light-activated agents of therapeutic interest.

Working with local, national and international collaborators, Alison’s research efforts have resulted in the publication of >100 articles in peer-reviewed journals. For over 15 years she has been a member of the Board of Advisors of SuperNOVA, including as the working Chair of the Board 2015-present. SuperNOVA delivers science, technology and computer science camps and workshops to >14,000 youth per year in Atlantic Canada and beyond via school/after-school workshops, Saturday clubs and summer camps with particular focus on reaching youth in under-served communities.