Thijs studied cultural theory and analysis at ASCA, the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis of the University of Amsterdam, and obtained his doctorate in 2019. His dissertation was about various uses of the essay form in both literature and visual arts, with case studies including writer Roland Barthes, critic John D’Agata, novelist Zabel Yesayan, and filmmaker Hito Steyerl.

Thijs’s general research and teaching interests include the politics of emancipation, histories of popular education, aesthetic and cultural theory, and processual writing practices. Besides these topical interests, his teaching aims to increase critical thinking and expression, as well as to uncover the joys of intellectual discovery. Over and above his teaching commitments, Thijs also does occasional editorial work for art festivals and academic journals.