Thomas E Kingston Fras

Thomas E Kingston FRAS is a Ph.D. student and Berkeley Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, studying South and Southeast Asian Studies. In 2023, Thomas founded the Southeast Asia Graduate Working Group to foster academic collaboration among graduate scholars. Responsibilities include serving as Lead Graduate Student Instructor for courses on the history and culture of Southeast Asia, and as a delegate to the Graduate Assembly, advocating for graduate student interests. Academic contributions also encompass roles as an Editorial Director and Executive Committee Member for the Association of Southeast Asian Studies and a member of the Graduate Education and Training in Southeast Asian Studies consortium. Previous experience includes conducting research in pre-colonial Burma and assisting faculty at Renmin University of China. Thomas holds multiple degrees in philosophy, law, and Asian studies and is actively engaged in further language studies.