Tom Smith

Dr. Tom Smith is a Senior Lecturer in German at the University of St Andrews' School of Modern Languages. He previously taught at Newcastle University, University College London, and Oxford's Worcester College and Lady Margaret Hall. His research focuses on post-war German literature, queer studies, music culture (especially electronic music in German contexts), East German cultural history, and decolonizing pedagogical approaches. He leads a project exploring queer-of-color perspectives in Germany's 1980s club scenes, funded by a Carnegie Trust grant. Notable achievements include being an AHRC/BBC New Generation Thinker (2019) and authoring Comrades in Arms: Military Masculinities in East German Culture (2020).

• Education History: Positions at Newcastle, UCL, and Oxford Colleges
• Key Projects: Afrogermanic? grant project, EGS equitable German studies initiative
• Broadcast Work: BBC Radio 3 contributions on techno's racial origins and GDR queer history

Research interests span East German military masculinities, queer phenomenology in club culture, and decolonial academic practices. Supervised PhD topics include East German cultural studies and queer methodologies.

Grants: Carnegie Trust Research Incentive Grant. Collaborations: Co-founded EGS platform for equitable German studies with Nicola Thomas, Rey Conquer, and Richard McClelland.