Tuomas Hiltunen's research interests primarily focus on Finnish literature and culture; Nordic drama, opera, film, and design.

In addition to Columbia University's Finnish Studies Program, Tuomas Hiltunen teaches at the theatre department at Barnard College, and he is the Director of Administration and Management at the Barenboim-Said Foundation USA.

Tuomas Hiltunen received his MFA degree as a Fulbright, ASF, and Finlandia Foundation fellow at the School of the Arts at Columbia University. He was awarded the BA Honors degree at Guildhall School of Music & Drama at the City University in London.

Tuomas Hiltunen co-wrote with Aili Flint, Ph.D., a concert program with narration, Jean Sibelius & Ida Ekman: A Composer and His Muse, which premiered at the Embassy of Finland in Washington D.C. in 2013. This production was performed in Finnish at the Turku Music Festival and Alexander's Theatre in Helsinki in 2014.