Tim Soutphommasane grew up in the southwest suburbs of Sydney. He holds a first-class honours degree from the University of Sydney, and a master's degree (with distinction) in political theory from the University of Oxford, where he has been Commonwealth and Jowett Senior Scholar at Balliol College and has undertaken doctoral research in political theory at the University of Oxford.

Of Chinese and Lao extraction, Soutphommasane has worked as a freelance journalist. His writing has appeared in a range of Australian and British newspapers. He has also worked as a political staffer for New South Wales Premier the Hon. Bob Carr and (then Leader of the Opposition) the Hon. Kevin Rudd.

In 2009, Oxford University Press published Soutphommasane's Reclaiming Patriotism, a book dealing with patriotism, citizenship and national culture. Reclaiming Patriotism was shortlisted for the 2010 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction.

Major ource: Tim Soutphommasane's website, http://www.soutphommasane.com.au/
Sighted: 05/08/2009