Chris Tonkin was born in Perth, Western Australia. He holds degrees in composition from the University of Western Australia, Rice University (Houston, Texas) and a Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego. Chris has taught undergraduate composition, electronic music and sound design for screen and video games at the UWA Conservatorium of Music since 2008 as well as supervising several postgraduate students. In 2016 Chris designed and inaugurated a new major in Electronic Music and Sound Design which has been running since 2018. His creative output includes purely acoustic works, compositions for performers and live electronics, sound installations and recorded works as producer. Collaborations, exhibitions and performances include those with the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, IRCAM, Ensemble Offspring, the Goethe Institute, the Science Gallery Dublin, the Contemporary Arts Centre of New Orleans, the Seoul International Computer Music Festival, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention and Tall Poppies Records. Chris Tonkin's scores and recordings are held at the Australian Music Centre.

Chair of Composition Studies, Music (2008 - 2018); Chair of Electronic Music and Sound Design, Music (2016 - present); Graduate Research Coordinator (2016); Research Committee Chair, Music (2017 - 2018); Teaching and Learning Committee Chair, Music (2021 - 2023); Board of Studies, Design and Creative Arts (2021 - 2023);

Research paper with Adam Pinto on Roger Smalley's Transformation; Score edition with Adam Pinto, Roger Smalley's Transformation; 

Collaborations with artist Marite Norris Colourwarp (2022) and Get Pasted (2023), Fringe Festival, Perth; Live film score for Nosferatu, performed with Ensemble Offspring on national tour (Melb., Syd, Bris., Can.) (2019); Mississippi Swan - Daybew installation exhibited at the Science Gallery Dublin (Mar - Jun 2018) and at the Contemporary Arts Centre New Orleans (Aug - Sep 2018) (collab. Rick Snow). Transformation - Roger Smalley: Works for percussion, piano and electronics released on Tall Poppies Records (2017) (collab. Paul Tanner and Adam Pinto).   

Research and development in generative ambient video game music (2023 - present); Research paper and score edition of Roger Smalley's Transformation (for publication late 2024 / early 2025)

Coordinator of Electronic Music and Sound Design (EMSD) major; lecturer and supervisor for undergraduate units in electronic music composition, sound synthesis, screen composition, video game music; honours and postgraduate supervision;

music composition; electronic music; algorithmic computer music; sound installation; recording; video game music; screen music;