Tom Lyons studies China's recent economic history. He is especially interested in spatial aspects of development, including patterns of regional specialization and interregional trade, spatial disparities in output and consumption, and institutions and policies that shape the spatial structure of the economy. His current project investigates spatial aspects of development in Fujian province, using county-level sources.

Lyons is a former director of the East Asia Program and a former editor of the Cornell East Asia Series. He also served for many years as director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Economics and as director of the honors program in economics. He is currently a member of the East Asia Program's China faculty, the graduate field of Asian studies, the faculty in China and Asia-Pacific studies, and the associated faculty in Asian studies.