Mark Padoongpatt (he/him) is associate professor of Asian American Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He received his doctoral degree in american studies & ethnicity at the University of Southern California in 2011. He researches and writes on the histories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the 20th-century United States, with a focus on empire, migration, race, and urban and suburban cultures. His book, Flavors of Empire: Food and the Making of Thai America (University of California Press, 2017), explores how and why Thai food shaped the contours of Thai American community and identity since World War II. He’s currently writing a book and developing a podcast series on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Las Vegas titled "Neon Pacific," which explores histories of race, space, and placemaking in Vegas.