John Thayer Sidel (born 1966) is a political scientist and is the Sir Patrick Gillam Professor of International and Comparative Politics at the London School of Economics (LSE), where he is affiliated with both the Department of Government and International Relations department, as well as the Asia Research Centre. He was born on June 4, 1966, in New York City. He received his bachelor's degree (Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and an MA in Political Science in 1988 from Yale University, where he worked closely with James C. Scott, and he received his PhD in 1995 from Cornell University, where he worked under the supervision of Benedict Anderson. Sidel taught at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, first as a lecturer in Southeast Asian Politics (1994–2001) and then as a Reader in Southeast Asian Politics (2001–2004). Sidel has written several books as well as a range of journal articles and essays in edited volumes, and he serves as co-editor of the Contemporary Issues in Asia and the Pacific Series at Stanford University Press and member of the editorial boards of the journals South East Asia Research and Indonesia and the Malay World. He has served as an occasional commentator in the media and as a consultant for a range of government and multilateral agencies, foundations, and non-governmental organizations. Source: Wikipedia (en)