Associate Professor Lavina Lee is the Discipline Chair of Security Studies at Macquarie University, Sydney. From 2020 to 2023, she served on the Council of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and previously directed the Institute for Regional Security. In 2022, Dr. Lee became a non-resident fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington and a non-resident senior fellow at the University of Sydney's United States Studies Centre. Before joining Macquarie University in 2007, she was a political risk consultant for Control Risks Group. Dr. Lee is the author of the book 'Hegemony, International Legitimacy: Norms, Power, and Followership in the Wars in Iraq' (Routledge, 2010) and has published numerous articles and research reports focused on security strategy in the Indo-Pacific, Indian foreign and security policy, and nuclear deterrence and non-proliferation. She regularly contributes opinion pieces to various outlets. Her work integrates academic and policy approaches and she speaks widely on international security issues. Dr. Lee holds degrees in commerce and law from the University of New South Wales, a Master of Arts in International Peace and Security from King's College London, and a PhD in International Relations from the University of Sydney.
Macquarie University • Sydney
Oversees the Security Studies discipline and engages in research and policy impact.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute • Canberra
Led strategic initiatives and conducted research on national security.
Control Risks Group • Sydney
Provided insights on political risk for clients in various sectors.