Professor Tim Soutphommasane

• Core subject area: Political theory
• Research interests: Tim’s research focuses on questions of patriotism, multiculturalism, race, human rights and leadership. He is the author of five books: On Hate (Hachette, 2019), I’m Not Racist But … 40 Years of the Racial Discrimination Act (New South, 2015), Don’t Go Back To Where You Came From: Why Multiculturalism Works (New South, 2012), The Virtuous Citizen: Patriotism in a Multicultural Society (Cambridge University Press, 2012) and Reclaiming Patriotism: Nation-Building for Australian Progressives (Cambridge University Press, 2009). 

Tim Soutphommasane is Chief Diversity Officer at the University of Oxford and Professor of Practice in Human Rights and Political Theory in the Department of Politics and International Relations. In addition to his fellowship at Balliol College he holds a professorial appointment at the University of Sydney. He was previously Director of Culture Strategy at the University of Sydney (2019−2022) and Australia’s Race Discrimination Commissioner (2013−2018). As Commissioner, he led Australia’s national efforts in combatting racial discrimination during a period of extensive debate about race, human rights and freedom of speech. His work and commentary have featured in outlets including the New York Times, CNN, BBC, Financial Times, The Guardian, New Statesman, Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian. He has supported numerous international organisations with culture change relating to diversity, equity and inclusion. 

For those interested in the pronunciation of Tim’s surname, the phonetic spelling of it is Soot-pom-ma-sarn.