Susannah Patton is Director, Asia Engagement at RMIT and a Nonresident fellow at the Lowy Institute.

 

From 2022 to 2026 Susannah led the Lowy Institute’s Southeast Asia Program and was responsible for the Asia Power Index. Her research interests include geopolitical trends in Southeast Asia and Australian foreign policy. Susannah is an active participant in policy dialogues, conferences and professional education programs connecting Australia with Asia and improving Australians’ understanding of the region.

 

Susannah has contributed commentary to Australian and international media outlets, and her writing has been published in leading outlets including The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy and the Australian Financial Review. She is a regular contributor to the Lowy Institute’s international magazine, The Interpreter.

 

Earlier in her career Susannah worked in various Southeast Asia-focused positions in the Australian government, including as a Senior Analyst in the Southeast Asia Branch at the Office of National Intelligence, in the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit Taskforce in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and as a diplomat in the Australian Embassy in Bangkok. She speaks Thai and holds degrees in law and political science from the Australian National University.