People

The Lowy Institute has a core of highly credentialed research staff and nonresident fellows. It also draws on external partners and invites leading international figures to participate in the Institute's activities.

Experts

Executive Director

Australian foreign policy; US politics and foreign policy; Asia and the Pacific; Global institutions

Director of Research

Strategy and geopolitics; global governance; Australian foreign policy; Southeast Asia; Data analysis

Research Assistant, Indo-Pacific Development Centre

Ahmed Albayrak is a Research Assistant in the Lowy Institute’s Indo-Pacific Development Centre. Prior to joining the Lowy Institute, he completed a Master of Environmental and Resource Economics degree at the Australian National University where he specialised in economic modelling. His research interests include structural transformation, energy transition and climate change policy. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne.

Research Editor

Australian foreign policy news; long-form research publishing on strategy, security, geopolitics and economics.

Research Fellow, Women & Development, Pacific Islands Program

Aid to Pacific Islands, Pacific development policy; Pacific women’s development, Pacific Island politics, remittances.

Research Fellow, Indo-Pacific Development Centre

Public finance, debt management and crisis, poverty and inequality, growth and emerging markets

Deputy Director, Indo-Pacific Development Centre

Politics and economics in Asia and the Pacific; Aid and international development policy.

Research Associate, Pacific Aid Map

Pacific Islands aid and development; development finance

DFAT Visiting Fellow

First Nations foreign policy and climate change

Managing Editor, The Interpreter

Australian foreign policy and politics; Australia’s intelligence services; international relations in Asia

Research Associate, Indo-Pacific Development Centre

Climate adaptation, foreign aid and finance, decarbonising development

Project Director, Multiculturalism, Identity and Influence Project

China’s state-society relations, Chinese civil society, NGOs, development, social policy, philanthropy, Overseas Chinese communities, Australia-China relations

Director, Pacific Islands Program

Pacific Islands development and security, resource management, human security and resilience. 

Project Director, Digital Threats to Democracy Project; Research Fellow, Transnational Challenges

Terrorism and violent extremism; digital technology; disinformation; authoritarianism; national security; emergency management and countering violent extremism; crisis and natural disasters; radicalisation; counterterrorism; policy; Middle East; US national security

FDC Pacific Fellow, Pacific Islands Program

Economics and politics in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific; trade policy; economic history

Senior Fellow for East Asia

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.

Director, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program

Australian foreign policy and public opinion, climate change and sustainability, multilateral diplomacy, China and Hong Kong.

Director, Southeast Asia Program

Indo-Pacific strategy; Australian foreign policy; Southeast Asia.

Lowy Institute Lead Economist; Director, Indo-Pacific Development Centre

International economic policy; Asia Pacific economies; macroeconomics; economic development; aid and development finance; globalisation; geo-economics.  

Director, International Security Program

Australian foreign and defence policy, China’s military forces, US defence and foreign policy, drones and other military technology. Also, trends in global democracy.

Data Analyst, Asia Power Index
Project Director, Australia-PNG Network

Australian foreign policy in the Pacific; Australia-PNG relations; geopolitics in the Pacific; Melanesia; conflict analysis and fragile states

Research Associate, Southeast Asia Aid Map

Foreign aid, global development finance

Research Associate

Australian defence policy; military capability; military history

Research Associate, Indo-Pacific Development Centre

International economics and political economy, geoeconomics, growth and development, macroeconomics

Nonresident Fellows

Nonresident Fellow

Papua New Guinea; The Pacific Islands region; Australia's foreign correspondents

Nonresident Fellow

Political and strategic developments in East Asia; transnational security issues; intelligence; Australian national security and defence

Senior Fellow

Australian economic policy; monetary policy; international economics; banking

Nonresident Fellow

History and strategy of warfare

Nonresident Fellow

Indonesian foreign policy; Indonesian democratization; ASEAN and regional political and security issues

Nonresident Fellow

Japan's foreign policy; Australia-Japan relations; Japanese foreign aid

Nonresident Fellow

Rising powers and the global security order

Nonresident Fellow

International security; defence and security; Chinese defence policy

Nonresident Fellow

US politics, US foreign policy

Nonresident Fellow

International economic policy, economic and financial development, productivity growth, social policy and evaluation

Nonresident Fellow

Regional economic integration; Australia's economic relations with East Asia; international financial flows and the global financial architecture; financial sector development in East Asia

Nonresident Fellow

Politics; economics; foreign policy

Nonresident Fellow

Pacific Islands politics; Pacific Islands economic and social development; governance; statebuilding

Nonresident Fellow

Indian foreign policy, politics, economics, and society

Nonresident Fellow

International security policy; strategic policy; civil-military relations; Indonesian defense and security policy

Nonresident Fellow

Russian foreign and security policy; Sino-Russian relations

Nonresident Fellow

Southeast Asian security; violent extremism; international law and cyber-security

Nonresident Fellow

Pacific and PNG; international development assistance; international health challenges; global issues impacting on indigenous peoples

Nonresident Fellow

Russia-Ukraine war; military history and strategy; advanced technologies

Nonresident Fellow

Macroeconomic policy; economic reform; the role of financial institutions in economic development; Myanmar; Indo-Pacific

Nonresident Fellow

China; Chinese foreign and domestic policy; Chinese development policy

Operations staff

Chief Operating Officer

Sarah Hipsley is Chief Operating Officer at the Lowy Institute for International Policy.

Executive Officer
Digital Producer
Head of Partnerships
Director, Media and Communications

Shane McLeod is the Lowy Institute's Director of Media and Communications.

Director, Finance and Accounting

Carmel Phillips is the Director of Finance and Accounting at the Lowy Institute for International Policy.

Director, Events
Office Manager
Assistant Accountant

Louise Terrance is Assistant Accountant at the Lowy Institute.