Akhil Thomas

Akhil Thomas is a PhD candidate in South Asian Religions and Comparative Studies at Harvard University's Committee on the Study of Religion. Originally from Delhi, his family hails from Kerala in South India. His dissertation explores the Malayalam religious poetry of Johann Ernst Hanxleden (1681-1732), a Jesuit missionary, scholar, and poet, focusing on the ancient Christian community known as the Thomas Christians of Kerala. Akhil's research interests include diaspora and continuity, conversions, and translation, particularly in the context of Christian communities in South Asia and Asia more broadly.

Akhil and his wife reside in Belmont, Massachusetts. They enjoy hiking and camping in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and are expecting their first child this summer.