After having completed his licentiate studies in international relations at the University of St. Gallen, Thomas worked for two years in marketing and export promotion in Switzerland and South America. In 2005 he completed a DEA program in international relations, specializing in political science, at the Graduate Institute of International Studies (HEI) in Geneva. Currently, he is a Ph.D. candidate at HEI. His general research interests include political economy, trade politics, the WTO and global governance.