Paul R Brass is Professor (Emeritus) of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Washington, Seattle. He has published numerous books and articles on comparative and South Asian politics, ethnic politics, and collective violence. His work has been based on extensive field research in India during numerous visits since 1961. 

He has been a University of Washington faculty member and Professor, Department of Political Science, and The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies since 1965. He received his BA in 1958, Government, Harvard College; his MA in 1959, Political Science, University of Chicago; and his PhD in 1964, Political Science, University of Chicago. 

His teaching specializations include: comparative politics (South Asia), ethnicity and nationalism, as well as collective violence. 

Prof. Brass has received Fellowships at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, DC, 1994–95; Faculty Research Fellowships, American Institute of Indian Studies: 1993, 1982– 83, 1973, 1966–76; John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, 1972–73; Grants for Research on South Asia, American Council of Learned Societies and Social Science Research Council, 1966–67, 1973–74, 1977–78, 1982–83, amongst others. 

In 2008, Brass received the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Emeritus Fellowship. 

In 2012, Professor Brass was awarded a Fulbright-Nehru Senior Research Fellowship grant for the academic year 2012–13, which allowed him to carry out further research in India during his stay of nine months. During that period he was affiliated with the Centre for the Study of Developing societies, Delhi.