Dr Michael Fullilove AM

Executive Director
Dr Michael Fullilove AM
Biography
Publications
News and media

Dr Michael Fullilove AM is the Executive Director of the Lowy Institute.

Over the past two decades, Dr Fullilove has played a leading role in the establishment and development of the Lowy Institute. He wrote the Institute’s feasibility study for Sir Frank Lowy in 2002 and served as the Director of its Global Issues Program from 2003 until his appointment as Executive Director in 2012. He has also worked as a lawyer, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, and an adviser to Prime Minister Paul Keating. He is a member of the Advisory Council of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London.

Dr Fullilove writes widely on Australian foreign policy, US foreign policy and global issues in publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Financial Times, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy and Foreign Affairs, as well as the Australian press. He is a sought-after speaker and commentator who is quoted regularly in publications such as The Economist and appears on broadcasters such as the ABC, the BBC and CNN. He graduated in arts and law from the Universities of Sydney and New South Wales, with dual university medals. He also studied as a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford, where he completed a master’s degree and a doctorate in international relations.

Dr Fullilove is the author of a number of books, including Rendezvous with Destiny: How Franklin D. Roosevelt and Five Extraordinary Men Took America into the War and into the World (Penguin), which won the NSW Premier's Literary Award for Non-Fiction. He is the editor of Men and Women of Australia! Our Greatest Modern Speeches (Viking), and the co-editor of Reports from a Turbulent Decade (Viking), an anthology of the Lowy Institute’s best work. In 2015 Dr Fullilove delivered the Boyer Lectures. His lectures were published as A Larger Australia: The ABC 2015 Boyer Lectures (Penguin).

In his capacity as Executive Director and as the host of The Director’s Chair podcast, Dr Fullilove has hosted many world leaders including Joe Biden, Angela Merkel, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Aung San Suu Kyi, Henry Kissinger, Lee Hsien Loong, Boris Johnson, Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, José Ramos-Horta, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sanna Marin and Jake Sullivan, as well as nine Australian prime ministers.

In 2019 Dr Fullilove was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to international relations.

The Director’s Chair: Dr Constanze Stelzenmüller on Angela Merkel’s life, career and legacy.
Podcasts
The Director’s Chair: Dr Constanze Stelzenmüller on Angela Merkel’s life, career and legacy.
In this episode of The Director’s Chair, Michael Fullilove speaks with the Brookings Institution scholar and Merkel-watcher Dr Constanze Stelzenmüller. Constanze holds the Fritz…
The Director’s Chair: Anna Funder on Stasiland, the US, Australia and whether writers are like spies
Podcasts
The Director’s Chair: Anna Funder on Stasiland, the US, Australia and whether writers are like spies
In this episode of The Director’s Chair, Michael Fullilove speaks with award-winning author Anna Funder. Anna is widely known for her two bestselling books on German history,…
China, the West and Covid
Commentary
China, the West and Covid
It is hard to believe the world will easily forget China’s governing system allowed Covid to get out of hand and spread to the four corners of the Earth. Originally published in…
The Director’s Chair: Dr Samir Saran on India’s COVID crisis and the future of globalisation.
Podcasts
The Director’s Chair: Dr Samir Saran on India’s COVID crisis and the future of globalisation.
In this episode of The Director’s Chair, Michael Fullilove speaks with Dr Samir Saran, President of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), a leading Indian think tank.
The Director’s Chair: Dr Martin Indyk on making peace in the Middle East
Podcasts
The Director’s Chair: Dr Martin Indyk on making peace in the Middle East
In this episode of The Director’s Chair, Michael Fullilove speaks with the Australian-American diplomat, Middle East scholar, and author Dr Martin Indyk. 
The Director’s Chair: Anna Fifield on China, North Korea and New Zealand
Podcasts
The Director’s Chair: Anna Fifield on China, North Korea and New Zealand
In this episode of The Director’s Chair, Michael Fullilove speaks with award-winning journalist, author, and editor Anna Fifield. 
The Director’s Chair: Michèle Flournoy on her life and career, China’s rise and America’s resilience
Podcasts
The Director’s Chair: Michèle Flournoy on her life and career, China’s rise and America’s resilience
In this episode of The Director’s Chair, Michael Fullilove speaks with the distinguished policymaker and policy entrepreneur Michèle Flournoy. 
Biden’s diplomatic team debut is heartening for Australia
Commentary
Biden’s diplomatic team debut is heartening for Australia
Canberra wants Beijing and Washington to manage their contest, so that the rest of us can get on with making our way in the world. Originally published in the Australian Financial…
The Director’s Chair: Marcus Wallenberg on the Wallenberg family, the global economy and COVID
Podcasts
The Director’s Chair: Marcus Wallenberg on the Wallenberg family, the global economy and COVID
In this episode of The Director’s Chair, Michael Fullilove speaks with international business leader Marcus Wallenberg. 
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