CHICAGO, IL, December 22, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Robert L. Thompson, PhD, with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Dr. Thompson celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
A leader in domestic and international economics, Dr. Thompson has garnered more than 40 years of practiced experience exploring food and agricultural policies. His interest in the field emerged while pursuing his undergraduate degree as he became intrigued by international food issues such as hunger in the world and poverty in low income countries. He subsequently volunteered as an agriculturalist for the International Voluntary Service in Laos, while enrolled in graduate school. Dr. Thompson later excelled in various prominent economics positions in Washington, DC, as well as at the university level as both an educator and administrator.
More recently, Dr. Thompson was designated as a professor emeritus at the University of Illinois in 2010 after six years of teaching and research as the Gardner endowed chair of agriculture policy. He formerly held academic appointments as a professor and the dean of agriculture at Purdue University between 1974 to 1993. Additionally, he flourished as a visiting scholar at the Johns Hopkins University in the school of advanced international studies between 2011 and 2015. As a successful scholar and researcher, Dr. Thompson has notably published numerous scholarly articles, monographs, and book chapters.
In the field, Dr. Thompson garnered a reputation for excellence as a senior staff economist for the Council on Economic Advisers in Washington. He has also found success as assistant secretary for economics for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the president and chief executive officer of the Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development and the senior advisor and director of rural development for the World Bank. Dr. Thompson continues active as a non-resident senior advisor for the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington since 2015.
As an extension of his career, Dr. Thompson has been a member of the USDA Joint Council on Food and Agricultural Sciences and the Agricultural Policy Advisory Council for the USDA and USTR. He was also recruited on the board of directors for Land O'Lakes, the board of trustees for the International Food Information Council, and the Board on Agriculture for the National Research Council. From 1987, Dr. Thompson was a dedicated longtime member and chairman of the International Policy Council on Agriculture and Trade.
Locally, Dr. Thompson contributed to his community by providing his expertise to the Indiana 4-H Foundation, the Indiana Institute of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition and the Institute for Science in Society. He was also affiliated with the Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Science as a member of its national advisory council and the Farm Foundation as a member and chairman of its board of directors. An elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he has maintained his involvement as a senior fellow of the Chicago Council of Global Affairs since 2010. Dr. Thompson is also a member and past president of the International Association of Agricultural Economists, a member and elected fellow of the American Agricultural Economics Association and a member of several other industry-related organizations.
To achieve his professional goals, Dr. Thompson earned an undergraduate degree at Cornell University in 1967. He followed this accomplishment with a master's degree and a Doctor of Philosophy at Purdue University in 1969 and 1974, respectively. Years later, Dr. Thompson was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from Dalhousie University and honorary Doctor of Science from the Pennsylvania State University, both in 1999.
Honored for his success, Dr. Thompson was presented with Purdue University's Agricultural Research Award in 1982. He later received the Justin Smith Morrill Memorial Award from the USDA in 1995, the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the American College of Nutrition in 1999, the Faculty Global Impact Award from the University of Illinois in 2010, and the American Farm Bureau Federation's Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award in 2011. A celebrated Marquis listee, Dr. Thompson has been featured in many editions of Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Finance and Business and Who's Who in Science and Engineering.
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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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