Peter Thompson

Peter Anthony Thompson (born July 1967 ) is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) since 2015. Before joining NPL, Thompson assumed different roles at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl).

In 2022, he was awarded the Institute of Physics's Richard Glazebrook Medal and Prize for "outstanding leadership of the National Physical Laboratory and the sustained impact of metrology on UK prosperity and quality of life". In 2023, he was awarded the Scientific Engineering CEO of the Year by CEO Monthly.

Thompson obtained a bachelor's degree in science from the University of Salford in 1989 and a doctor of philosophy from Cranfield University in 1992 in Molecular Electronics. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 2018, Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), and Fellow of the Institute of Physics (FInstP).

Thompson has been made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2025 King's New Year Honours List.