NEWSROOM
A page for journalists, editors and producers looking for Lowy Institute expertise.
MEDIA RELEASES
Media enquiries
Andrew Griffits is Head of Media and Communications at the Lowy Institute, where he leads the Institute's media engagement and communications strategy, helping to amplify its research and scholars’ perspectives on global affairs to Australian and international audiences.
Prior to joining the Lowy Institute in 2023, Andrew worked as a consultant, delivering communications and corporate affairs services to clients across a range of sectors. He was previously Manager of Media and Communications at the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas, and a public relations adviser at Jardine Lloyd Thompson.
He started his career at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Sydney, where he worked as a reporter and producer for television, radio and digital news.
Andrew holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Newcastle.
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Australian foreign policy; US politics and foreign policy; Asia and the Pacific; Global institutions
Indo-Pacific strategy; Australian foreign policy; great power competition; Pacific Islands geopolitics; China’s regional influence; intelligence and national security
Development finance; foreign aid; human development
Macroeconomics; structural transformation; energy transition; Southeast Asia; economic development
Pacific Islands aid and development; development finance; sovereign debt; China’s foreign assistance and overseas lending
Australian foreign policy and politics; Australia’s intelligence services; international relations in Asia
Dr Connor Graham is a Research Fellow in the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute. His research spans Pacific public health, climate change, regional security, resource governance, and geopolitics, with a particular focus on Australia's role as a development and security partner in the region.
Prior to joining the Lowy Institute, Connor spent two years in Suva, Fiji, supporting public health research at Fiji National University as part of the Australian Volunteers Program. He completed his PhD at the University of Sydney in 2021.
Terrorism and violent extremism; digital technology; disinformation; authoritarianism; national security; emergency management and countering violent extremism; crisis and natural disasters; radicalisation; counter-terrorism; policy; Middle East; US national security
Australian foreign policy; Indo-Pacific security; China and Taiwan; North Korea; Pakistan
China’s political system and the workings and structure of the communist party; China’s foreign relations, with an emphasis on ties with Japan, the two Koreas, and Southeast Asia; Australia’s relations with Asia
Climate change; national security; PNG governance and politics; the Autonomous Region of Bougainville; international relations across the Pacific region
Digitalisation; digital economy; economic development and empowerment; innovation and technology; social welfare
Indian foreign and security policy; Indo-Pacific geopolitics; India–China relations
Insurgent dynamics and legitimacy
International economic policy; Asia-Pacific economies; macroeconomics; economic development; aid and development finance; globalisation; geoeconomics
Australian foreign and defence policy; China’s military forces; US defence and foreign policy; drones and other military technology; trends in global democracy
Russia-Ukraine war; military history and strategy; advanced technologies
Sarah Thompson is a Research Associate in the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute, where she supports research and the Australia–Papua New Guinea Network.
Prior to joining the Lowy Institute, Sarah worked as a Research Assistant at the Humanitarian Advisory Group. She holds a Master of International Development Practice from Monash University, where her research focused on intercultural competency in Pacific climate diplomacy. She continues to work on political and development challenges across the Pacific, with a particular focus on climate change, regional mobility, and human security.
Macroeconomic policy; economic reform; the role of financial institutions in economic development; Myanmar; Indo-Pacific
Australian defence policy; military capability
International economics; trade and supply chains; geoeconomics and economic security; growth and development; macroeconomics; critical minerals and technology competition
