Our People
UWA Defence and Security Institute members
Institute Staff Advisory Board Executive Committee Institute Fellows Institute Internship Program
Institute Staff
The Honourable David Johnston
CHAIR, UWA DEFENCE AND SECURITY INSTITUTE
The Honourable David Johnston was educated in Perth in Western Australia, David attended Wesley College from 1967–1973 and then graduated from The University of Western Australia in 1981 with the law degrees B.Juris and LLB. David was elected to the Australian Parliament as a Senator for Western Australia in 2001 and served in that role for 15 years.
Professor Gia Parish
Director, UWA Defence and Security Institute
Giacinta (Gia) Parish is Director, Defence & Security Institute and Professor, School of Engineering at the University of Western Australia; and a Director on the Board of AROSE. Professor Parish joined UWA after completing a PhD at the University of California, Santa Barbara as a Fulbright Scholar. She has a multidisciplinary background in electronic engineering, materials science and chemistry; particularly advanced semiconductor materials and device technologies. Her current research focus is chemical, bio- and infrared sensors for environmental and industrial monitoring and defence applications. Professor Parish has co-authored around 150 international publications, with close to 3000 citations, and was an inaugural Women in Technology WA ‘20 in 20’ award winner in 2018.
Fiona Considine
Business Manager
Fiona joined as an inaugural member of the UWA Defence and Security Program in November 2020. As Business Manager, she is responsible for the high-level planning, coordinating and execution of all of the Institutes programs, stakeholder engagement and outreach activities. Prior to this role she was the Events Manager for the Perth USAsia Centre for over 6 years.
Dr Troy Lee-Brown
Research Fellow
Troy Lee-Brown is a researcher in regional security, maritime security and international relations with a focus on the Indo-Pacific. He is currently the editor of the ‘Black Swan Strategy Paper’ and the project manager for ‘Blue Security’, a joint DSI-La Trobe Asia-Griffith Asia Institute-UNSW project which focuses on issues of maritime security in the Indo-Pacific.
Judith Ann Kumar
Administration Officer
Judith joined as an Administration Officer for the UWA Defence and Security Institute in June 2023. She is responsible for the institute’s social media presence and outreach, as well as planning, organising, and executing programs. Prior to this role, she dabbled in event marketing, social media management and UX Design over the last 7 years.
Advisory Board
The Honourable David Johnston
CHAIR, UWA DEFENCE AND SECURITY INSTITUTE
The Honourable David Johnston was educated in Perth in Western Australia, David attended Wesley College from 1967–1973 and then graduated from The University of Western Australia in 1981 with the law degrees B.Juris and LLB. David was elected to the Australian Parliament as a Senator for Western Australia in 2001 and served in that role for 15 years.
Professor Gia Parish
Director, UWA Defence and Security Institute
Giacinta (Gia) Parish is Director, Defence & Security Institute and Professor, School of Engineering at the University of Western Australia; and a Director on the Board of AROSE. Professor Parish joined UWA after completing a PhD at the University of California, Santa Barbara as a Fulbright Scholar. She has a multidisciplinary background in electronic engineering, materials science and chemistry; particularly advanced semiconductor materials and device technologies. Her current research focus is chemical, bio- and infrared sensors for environmental and industrial monitoring and defence applications. Professor Parish has co-authored around 150 international publications, with close to 3000 citations, and was an inaugural Women in Technology WA ‘20 in 20’ award winner in 2018.
The Honourable Kim Beazley AC
Honorary Non-voting Advisory Board Member
The Honourable Kim Beazley AC was the 33rd Governor of Western Australia.
Prior to being installed as Governor on the 1st May 2018, Mr Beazley had dedicated almost three decades to a career in Federal Parliament, representing the WA seats of Brand and Swan.
Professor Amit Chakma
Advisory Board Member
Professor Amit Chakma is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Australia. He has served as President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Ontario from 2009-2019. Prior to his tenure at Western, he served as Provost and Vice-President Academic at the University of Waterloo from 2001-2009.
Professor Gordon Flake
Advisory Board Member
Professor Gordon Flake is the founding Chief Executive Officer of the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia.
Professor Flake is one of world’s leading authorities on strategic developments in the Indo-Pacific. Having spent twenty-five years in the US foreign policy community focused on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia and now seven years in Australia’s Indian Ocean capital he is an expert on key strategic relationships in the broader Indo-Pacific.
Linda Dawson
Advisory Board Member
Linda Dawson is the Deputy Director General, Industry, Science and Innovation at the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation. She is a senior executive with more than 25 years’ experience working in large Australian and multinational organisations across the resources and utilities sectors. Over Linda’s career she has led corporate services, community development, human resources, health safety and environment, corporate affairs and operational functions.
Samantha Tough
Advisory Board Member
Samantha has a broad and varied career in many sectors including energy, resources, engineering and agriculture. She also has a 20 plus year career serving on boards.
Samantha is Pro Vice-Chancellor Industry Engagement at the University of Western Australia and currently serves as Chair of Horizon Power, Director of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, Chair COAG National Energy Selection Panel and Director Fluence Ltd.
Rear Admiral Wendy Malcolm AM, CSM RAN
Advisory Board Member
Wendy Malcolm joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1987, graduating as a Midshipman from the Australian Defence Force Academy in 1989 having completed a Bachelor of Science majoring in Physics.
Wendy was awarded a Conspicuous Service Medal (CSM) in the 2015 Australia Day Honours List “for meritorious devotion to duty as the Anzac System Program Office Director”, and promoted Rear Admiral on 7 December 2018.
David Norman
Advisory Board Member
Executive Committee Member
David Norman is Secretary of UWA DSI’s Executive Committee. He is Senior Policy Advisor to the Vice-Chancellor at the University of Western Australia. David leads the UWA’s counter foreign interference work and is UWA’s DISP Chief Security Officer.
Executive Committee
The Honourable David Johnston
CHAIR, UWA DEFENCE AND SECURITY INSTITUTE
The Honourable David Johnston was educated in Perth in Western Australia, David attended Wesley College from 1967–1973 and then graduated from The University of Western Australia in 1981 with the law degrees B.Juris and LLB. David was elected to the Australian Parliament as a Senator for Western Australia in 2001 and served in that role for 15 years.
Professor Gia Parish
Director, UWA Defence and Security Institute
Giacinta (Gia) Parish is Associate Dean, Research, and Professor in the School of Engineering, at The University of Western Australia. She joined UWA in 2001 as an Australian Postdoctoral Fellow after completing a PhD at the University of California, Santa Barbara as a Fulbright Scholar.
Fiona Considine
Executive Committee Member
Fiona joined as an inaugural member of the UWA Defence and Security Program in November 2020. As Business Manager, she is responsible for the high-level planning, coordinating and execution of all of the Institutes programs, stakeholder engagement and outreach activities. Prior to this role she was the Events Manager for the Perth USAsia Centre for over 6 years.
Dr Troy Lee-Brown
Research Fellow
Troy Lee-Brown is a researcher in regional security, maritime security and international relations with a focus on the Indo-Pacific. He is currently the editor of the ‘Black Swan Strategy Paper’ and the project manager for ‘Blue Security’, a joint DSI-La Trobe Asia-Griffith Asia Institute-UNSW project which focuses on issues of maritime security in the Indo-Pacific.
Professor Shayne Loft
Executive Committee Member
Professor Shayne Loft is an expert in Human Factors (Applied Cognitive Psychology) and is currently an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Research Fellow (2021-2024) and the Director of the Human Factors and Applied Cognition Laboratory.
Dr Caroline Chapman
Executive Committee Member
Caroline is a Research Development Advisor in the Office of Research, UWA where she brings together her passion for research and her interest in supporting researchers to develop not only their careers but also to create real world impact with their ideas.
Professor Peter Robertson
Executive Committee Member
Peter Robertson is a Professor of Economics and is Dean of the Business School. His research on comparing defense budgets across countries and military purchasing power exchange rates is cited widely in international media and in international defence policy circles.
David Norman
Advisory Board Member
Executive Committee Member
David Norman is Senior Policy Advisor to the Vice-Chancellor at the University of Western Australia. He leads the UWA’s counter foreign interference work and is the Secretary of UWA’s Defence and Security Committee.
Lee Patterson
Executive Committee Member
Lee Patterson leads the Cyber Security and Technology Risk Management team at the University of Western Australia. His function is responsible for providing governance and oversight over technology and cyber risks, detecting and responding to cyber events, developing capabilities to improve the protection against and detection of cyber attacks and raising awareness of cyber security issues to staff and students.
Associate Professor Tim Inglis
Executive Committee Member
Associate Professor Tim Inglis (Pathology) Health Department of Western Australia Translation Fellow, School of Medicine, UWA and Medical Microbiologist, PathWest Laboratory Medicine, WA. Dr Inglis has medical degrees (BM, DM) from the University of Southampton, UK, and a PhD from the University of Western Australia.
Paul Collings
Executive Committee Member
Paul Collings is a member of the Innovation and Industry Engagement (IIE) team at UWA. His team is responsible for driving a culture of industry engagement and innovation deep into the University structures, processes and people.
Fatima Moosa
Executive Committee Member
Fatima Moosa is the International Compliance Officer at the Office of Research at the University of Western Australia (UWA). She is a member of the executive team of the UWA Defence and Security Institute and who’s key focus is the countering of foreign interference at UWA.
Institute Fellows
Professor Peter Dean
Honorary Fellow
Professor Peter J. Dean PhD SFHEA is the Director, Foreign Policy and Defence at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. Previously, Professor Dean was the University of Western Australia’s (UWA) first Chair of Defence Studies and the inaugural director of the UWA Defence and Security Institute.
Jim Serpless
Honorary Fellow
Jim Serpless is an Australian Army officer and has served in various regimental and staff appointments within the Royal Australian Infantry Corps and Special Operations Command including deployments to the Middle East and Europe. A graduate of the Royal Military College, he holds a BA / LLB (Honours) from Monash University and is currently completing a Master of Strategy and Security at UNSW.
Dr Shannon Ford
Visiting Fellow
Dr Shannon Brandt Ford is Coordinator of the International Relations Major at Curtin University. He is also on the Board of Directors for the Asia-Pacific International Society of Military Ethics and a Faculty Affiliate with the Program on Cybersecurity and Internet Governance at Indiana University.
Natalie Sambhi
Visiting Fellow
Through her research, presentations and publications, Natalie Sambhi is committed to helping people gain a more nuanced understanding of Indonesian civil-military relations, Indonesian defence policy and Southeast Asian security.
Matt Moran
Visiting Fellow
Matt is the Head of Strategy and Government Relations for Luerssen Australia. Prior to joining Luerssen Australia, he was the inaugural Executive Director of Defence West. He is an Australian Army Afghanistan veteran and a Walkley Award winner. Matt deployed to Afghanistan as a public affairs officer in 2009 and East Timor in 2007.
Institute Internship Program
Abbey Watkin
Research Analyst Intern
Abbey Watkin is a third year Bachelor of Arts student, with double majors in Political Science and International Relations, and Korean Studies. After University, Abbey is passionate about pursuing a diplomatic career, with a focus on the Indo-Pacific, to bridge these two disciplines together.
The Defence and Security Institute is an initiative by The University of Western Australia.
The University of Western Australia acknowledges that its campus is situated on Noongar land, and that Noongar people remain the spiritual and cultural custodians of their land, and continue to practise their values, languages, beliefs and knowledge.