Thomas Hodgson is an ethnomusicologist whose research explores algorithms, AI, and digital technologies in global music cultures, with a particular focus on Pakistan and the Pakistani diaspora. His book, Journeys of Love: Kashmiris, Music, and the Poetics of Migration (University of Chicago Press), examines the role of music and poetry in shaping memories of migration, intimacy, and belonging among musicians in Azad Kashmir, the UK, and the Persian Gulf. He is also the co-editor and founder of Music and Data, a new peer-reviewed journal published by University of California Press. Music and Data, which explores the humanistic study of data, algorithms, and technological infrastructures in music and sound cultures. His work has also appeared in journals including Popular Music, Sound Studies, Music & Letters, Culture, Theory and Critique, and Les Cahiers d’Ethnomusicologie, as well as numerous edited volumes.

Outside academia, Thomas co-founded the music technology platform Tigmus (This is Good Music). The company, which came to represent over 900 venues and 4000 artists, made use of data from streaming and social media platforms such as Spotify, YouTube and Facebook to tell artists optimally where and when they should perform. He is also a practicing musician and composer, playing the trumpet, keys and various other instruments in Stornoway, an indie folk band with three UK top-20 albums. Thomas recently collaborated with composer Edward Nesbit to produce an album in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The album – Aenigmata – was shortlisted for the 2019 RMA Tippett Medal.