Neil Thomlinson is Associate Professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Ryerson University. Thomlinson joined the facutly in 1995 as a sessional instructor, earned an Assistant Professorship in 2000, and was transferred to tenure and promoted to Associate Professor in 2005. He served as Department Chair from 2006 to 2011. Thomlinson holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Toronto, an MA in Political Studies from the University of Saskatchewan, and a BA in Political Science from the University of Calgary. Before joining the faculty at Ryerson, Thomlinson was a municipal councillor, Mayor, and Chair of a Regional Planning Commission in Northern Alberta, and a board member, Treasurer, and President of AIDS Calgary. In recognition of that volunteer service, he was awarded the Canada Volunteer Award by Health and Welfare Canada in 1991. He is an elected member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Political Science Association (2013-15), and has served on the Editorial Board of The Hinge since 2007. Within Ryerson, Thomlinson has held numerous committee and executive positions, including his roles as a member of the Senate (2013-2015), the Senate Review (2007-2008) and Restructuring (2008-2009) Committees, the Executive of the Ryerson Faculty Association (2004-2006) and its Chairs/Directors’ Council (2007-2011), the Faculty of Arts Teaching Standards Committee (2009-2011), and as chair of the Provost's Committee on Timetabling (2006-2011).

His teaching and research interests include local and urban governance, Canadian government and politics, public policy, and the politics of sexual diversity and identity. He was named a "popular prof" in Maclean’s Guide to Canadian Universities from 2003 until Ryerson withdrew from participation in the Guide. A member of the Yeates School of Graduate Studies, Thomlinson is affiliated with the MA program in Public Policy and Administration, and the interdisciplinary PhD program in Policy Studies.