Tommy Gunawan was born in Indonesia and grew up in Singapore. He came to the United States to earn his Bachelor's in Psychology from Chapman University. He completed his Master's in Psychology, and his Ph.D. in Behavior, Cognition, and Neuroscience from American University. He conducted his postdoctoral training at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health. He is currently a scientist at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

He is interested in the neuropsychopharmacology of psychotropic drugs. His research primarily focused on how environmental, psychosocial, and pharmacological factors interact to modulate drug effects and risk of psychiatric disorders using both preclinical and clinical experimental models. 

He enjoys spending time with friends and family, being out in nature, and rock climbing.