Anna Kirk is a Research Associate in the Melanesia Program at the Lowy Institute, where her work focuses on Australia’s relations with Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands. Anna is studying a Master of Development Studies at the University of Sydney and holds a Bachelor of International Studies from the University of Queensland, with majors in Peace and Conflict Studies and Spanish. Anna grew up in Port Vila, Vanuatu. During her undergraduate degree she spent a semester studying Spanish language at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. In 2013, Anna spent six months teaching English in Santiago, Chile.