Prof Erik (Rik) Thompson studied extracellular matrix in the rat testis for his PhD and undertook postdoctoral training in breast cancer invasion and metastasis at NIH, USA and the Lombardi Cancer Research Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, USA. He established a breast cancer Invasion and Metastasis laboratory at Georgetown before returning to St. Vincent’s Institute, Melbourne in 1997 as Group Leader for Invasion and Metastasis in the Victorian Breast Cancer Research Consortium. In 2014, he joined IHBI QUT as Professor in Breast Cancer Research and Theme Leader for ‘Chronic Disease and Ageing’. In 2016, he took up the role of Associate Director of IHBI at the Translational Research Institute. This role was reclassified to Research Lead, QUT@TRI in February, 2021.

Rik has worked in breast cancer for >30 years, focused primarily on invasion and metastasis, building on postgraduate training in extracellular matrix (ECM) and postdoctoral interests in matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and epithelial mesenchymal plasticity (EMP).