Nicholas Thomas

Professor Nicholas Thomas has been Director of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge since 2006. He is a leading scholar whose work spans Oceanic art, colonial histories, and museology. He has authored or edited nearly fifty influential books and exhibition catalogues.

Research Interests:

• Oceanic art history and material culture
• Colonial histories and postcolonial perspectives
• Museology and the history of collections
• Contemporary art and exhibition curation

His scholarship has revived material culture studies and re-examined colonial legacies in Oceania. He has curated landmark exhibitions, including Oceania (2018–19) at the Royal Academy of Arts and Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, and Chiefs & Governors: Art and Power in Fiji at MAA.

Scientific Awards:

• Wolfson History Prize (2012) for Islanders: the Pacific in the Age of Empire

Professor Thomas is not currently listed as taking on doctoral students and no email address is provided in the text.