Dr Meg Keen

Senior Fellow, Pacific Islands Program
Areas of expertise

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

Dr Meg Keen
Biography
Publications
News and media

Dr Meg Keen is a Senior Fellow in the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute.

Meg’s work on the Pacific region spans several decades across academia, intelligence and policymaking. Her research focuses on regional security policy and resilience, as well as resource, environmental and human security. She has worked and conducted research in nearly all Pacific Islands countries with governments, NGOs and regional agencies.

Before joining the Lowy Institute, she was the inaugural Director of the Australia Pacific Security College at the Australian National University (ANU), an educational institution she helped to establish to service members of the Pacific Islands Forum on Pacific Islands development and security issues. 

Prior to that, Meg worked as a Senior Policy Fellow in the ANU’s Department of Pacific Affairs, as a Senior Analyst in the Oceania Branch of the Office of National Assessments (now the Office of National Intelligence) and served in Australia’s Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).

She started her post-doctoral career as a lecturer in environment studies (ANU and Monash University) and advising the Australian government on environmental management in the Asia-Pacific.

Meg has won four Australia Day Awards for her work as a senior Pacific Islands analyst, an Australian Federal Police Overseas Service Medal for her work with RAMSI, and a citation for excellence in teaching. A Canadian native, she has been resident in Australia for more than 30 years.

Can Australia’s new Humanitarian Policy deliver?
Can Australia’s new Humanitarian Policy deliver?
The effort is laudable, and a step in the right direction, with more ambition and local engagement needed.
Harris 1.0
Data Snapshot
Harris 1.0
What Kamala Harris’ election would mean for Australia and the world
Kamala Harris and the Pacific Islands
Kamala Harris and the Pacific Islands
Pacific Island countries want to hear more from the Democratic nominee about how she will support the region.
The Great Game in the Pacific Islands
Data Snapshot
The Great Game in the Pacific Islands
Pacific Islanders have found their region, previously undervalued by larger powers, now a focal point for strategic competition.
Australians watching Pacific with concern and care
Australians watching Pacific with concern and care
Chinese influence and Pacific migration pathways are on Australian minds this year, according to latest Lowy Institute Poll.
Solomon Islands: Democracy on the ballot
Solomon Islands: Democracy on the ballot
Next week, voters will determine not only political leadership but the future of democratic processes.
The bigger political game in the Pacific
The bigger political game in the Pacific
It’s true there are many actors and issues unfolding in the region, but Australia, the United States and China play a central role in driving aid and strategic competition.
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