Tom Nichols, author of The Death of Expertise, is a professor at the U.S. Naval War College, at the Harvard Extension School, a Sovietologist, and a five-time undefeated Jeopardy! champion. He is a senior contributor at The Federalist and the author of seven books. Previously he was a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, and the John F; Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.    He also worked for the late Republican Senator John Heinz as personal staff assistant for defense and security affairs. 

During the 2016 presidential election campaign, he became a member of the "Never Trump" movement, and has been described as one of "the most eloquent conservative voices against President Trump."  In February 2018, he wrote an opinion piece in USA Today titled I'm Still a Republican, But My Party Needs to be Fumigated.

His most recent books include No Use: Nuclear Weapons and U.S. National Security and The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters.