Gerhard Hoffstaedter is a senior research fellow (DECRA) in anthropology in the School of Social Science at the University of Queensland. He conducts research on Islam, refugees and immigration policy. He currently holds a Discovery Early Career Research Award fellowship from the Australian Research Council to produce an ethnography of the refugee experience in Malaysia.

He is a regular commentator in newspapers, radio and online media on topics of his research. His first book entitled Modern Muslim Identities: Negotiating Religion and Ethnicity in Malaysia is published by NIAS Press. A co-edited volume Urban Refugees: Challenges in Protection, Services and Policy has just been published with Routledge.