Philip (“Phil”) Thompson was born and grew up in Yorkshire, Northern England.  After emigrating to the USA, he attended the University of Utah, where he received a BSc in metallurgical engineering (magna cum laude) in 1972.  During his early career, he worked as a metallurgical engineer at Cortez Gold Mines in Nevada, Cleveland Cliffs Iron Ore Company in Michigan, and at the US Bureau of Mines in Salt Lake City, Utah.

He joined Dawson Metallurgical Laboratories as a consulting metallurgist in 1981 and eventually assumed leadership of the 10-man company as president and CEO after the retirement of Mr. Harmel Dawson in 1991.  He maintained that position until the company was purchased by FLSmidth in 2008.  His position in FLSmidth included laboratory director, then senior minerals processing advisor, a position he still holds.

He is the co-inventor of 22 patents and has authored over 40 technical articles.  Phil received the Gaudin Award in 2012.  He is a member of SME and an adjunct assistant professor of metallurgy at the University of Utah.