Dr. Dickinson received a master's and a doctoral degree from the University of Michigan. He began his career as an assistant professor of physics at Washington State University in 1968, and in 2002, was named the Paul Anderson Distinguished Professor of Physics. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he is the founding director of the Center for Materials Research at WSU.
Among his many honors, he was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society in recognition of his pioneering and innovative research.