Thomas is from Des Moines, Iowa. He attended the University of Iowa studying political science, philosophy, and economics focusing on foreign policy and civil conflicts. He was a member of the Iowa Policy and Opinion Lab (IPOL) and focused his work on environmental policy issues and public opinion for the state of Iowa.

Thomas’ research interests are in civil conflicts; specifically, what affects the length of conflicts and how the conflict proceeds, as well as how external support to either side can influence the nature of civil conflicts. He is also interested in research methodology and how the methodology can better improve research design.