Duncan McCargo is best known for his agenda-setting contributions to current debates on the politics of Thailand. Fluent in Thai and fascinated by Asia, he has spent several years in Thailand. McCargo has also lived in Singapore, taught in Belfast, Cambodia and Japan, and published on Indonesia and Vietnam. He is committed to doing serious fieldwork, and Time magazine wrote of his work 'No armchairs for this author… McCargo is the real McCoy.'

McCargo's main research interests lie in the politics of contemporary Thailand, including issues such as Buddhism, constitutionalism, political reform, the career of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, the media, the monarchy, the role of the military, the Southern conflict, judicialization and the politics of justice. He also focuses on comparative politics in the Asia-Pacific region, including electoral politics, civil society, political transitions, and politics and media.

Duncan McCargo holds a visiting affiliation at Columbia’s University’s Weatherhead Institute, and is an Associate Fellow of the Asia Society. In December 2010, McCargo was awarded an honorary doctorate in Tai Studies by Mahasarakham University.