Ryan Neelam is Director of the Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program at the Lowy Institute. He leads the flagship annual Lowy Institute Poll, is project director for the Global Diplomacy Index, and writes about climate diplomacy and multilateral policy. 

His writing has appeared in leading publications such as the Financial Times, Nikkei Asia, Australian Financial Review, and The Australian, and his research and commentary have been cited by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, The Guardian, Bloomberg, and many others.

Prior to joining the Lowy Institute in 2023, Ryan served as an Australian diplomat for 14 years, including acting as Consul-General to Hong Kong and Macau. Ryan was also posted to the Australian Mission to the United Nations in New York, where he negotiated agreement to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, served on the UN Security Council during Australia’s two-year term, and led on climate change. He has managed key diplomatic relationships, developed policy, and represented Australia on global economic, climate change, human rights, and peace and security issues.

Ryan holds a Bachelor of Economics and Social Sciences (Honours) from the University of Sydney.