Dr Lavina Lee is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University, Sydney. From 2020-2023 she was appointed by the Australian Defence Minister to the Council of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and was previously a Director of the Institute for Regional Security. Dr. Lee is also a non-resident fellow of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, as well as a non-resident Senior Fellow at the US Studies Centre. Prior to joining Macquarie University, she was a political risk consultant with Control Risks Group. Dr. Lee is the author of the book US Hegemony and International Legitimacy: Norms Power and Followership in the Wars on Iraq (Routledge, 2010), and has published numerous articles, book chapters, research reports and commentary on maritime security and strategy in the Indo-Pacific, Indian foreign and security policy, the US-Australia alliance, the Quad, nuclear proliferation, and Chinese influence in Southeast Asia. She also periodically publishes opinion pieces in The Australian, The Australian Financial Review, The Hindustan Times, and the New Straits Times, as well as with specialist policy outlets such as the Lowy Interpreter and ASPI Strategist. Dr Lee has commerce and law degrees from the University of NSW, an MA in International Peace and Security from King’s College, the University of London (with distinction), and a PhD in International Relations from Sydney University.