Thomas Bremer is an expert on the history, culture, and contemporary situation of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. He is professor emeritus of Church History and Eastern Churches Studies at the University of Münster in Germany, where he also earned his PhD. Thomas has been awarded research grants and fellowships from institutions including the Kennan Institute in Washington, D.C., and the Jordan Center at NYU. His publications include many articles and a dozen books, including Churches in the Ukrainian Crisis and Cross and Kremlin: A Brief History of the Orthodox Church in Russia, which has been translated into five languages. In addition to his academic career, he has served as a consultant on questions dealing with Eastern and Southeastern Europe. During the Yugoslav wars, he was active in reconciliation initiatives in the successor countries which involved religious communities as well as civil society groups.

Thomas has widely traveled is Central and Eastern Europe and is fluent in several of the local languages. He is especially interested in the significance of historical heritage for the contemporary situation in the countries he studies, and he is eager to share his fields of expertise on regions he knows intimately with Smithsonian Journeys guests.