Thomas Asher is director of research and engagement at Columbia World Projects. In that capacity he builds networks that gather researchers, practitioners, and government officials to address pressing challenges, especially those relating to cities and democratic engagement. He served in 2019 as a fellow in the Centre for Humanities Research at the University of Western Cape. Thomas is in the midst of a writing project exploring urbanism in Kenya and principles for collaboration, both in the making of cities and in knowledge production spanning the global north and south. Thomas holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Chicago and served as a program director leading international grant and fellowship programs at the Social Science Research Council for a decade. He currently is on leave, serving as senior fellow in the White House Office of Management and Budget to insert equity and community engagement into the core functions of federal agencies.