Research

The geostrategic environment in the Asia-Pacific has grown increasingly more complex. New organisations, with regional and sub-regional groupings are becoming more active and external players such as China and Indonesia are much more visible in regional affairs. Our research on geopolitics and regionalism addresses the drivers of, and trends in, regional politics and diplomacy covering themes such as soft power and public diplomacy, political economy, Pacific diplomacy, and non-state actor diplomacy. Researchers also investigate some of the most pressing development issues in Pacific Island countries including relationships between state structures and capabilities, society and societal transformations, and governance in the Pacific. 

Your research will connect insights on the transformations of gender and sexuality in Asia and the Pacific from a range of disciplines including anthropology, history, language, literature and media studies. 

Examine deep processes of change in Asian and Pacific societies, covering ancient civilisations, the turbulent encounter of these societies with the West and the promises and threats of the recent past. 

In recent years, human security problems and issues have gained increasing attention on global and regional security agendas as well as in Australia’s foreign policy. The research profile of our academics cuts across global and regional affairs in the areas of urbanisation, global migration and forced displacement, child rights and protection, gender-based and domestic violence, women’s economic empowerment, health security, and artificial intelligence. 

Explore nuclear disarmament, the role of global institutions or world peace. We offer you a keen insight into the realm of global politics with a unique focus on the Asia Pacific region.

Draw on pragmatic and policy-oriented solutions to complex issues. Investigate a wide variety of topics related to justice, security, and more. 

With one of the largest concentrations of linguists anywhere in the world, and over 50 years of experience documenting little-known languages, we have the capacity to support your research on more than 2,000 languages of the Asia and Pacific region.

Our program aims to develop internationally recognised security specialists with outstanding research skills. Choose from 19 multidisciplinary fields ranging across the security of regions and states, cyberspace, terrorism, potential futures and the challenges faced by policymakers. 

Pacific Studies is an interdisciplinary field focusing on the islands of Oceania and the Pacific diaspora. Our scholars explore important historical and contemporary issues, and critically examine the ways in which the region has been framed, constructed and represented. 

Engage in cutting edge research on Asia and Pacific politics with world-leading experts and understand the region’s political diversity — from durable one-party regimes such as China, to the sprawling democracies of India and Indonesia, or the tiny microstates of the Pacific. 

Develop your expertise in political science, public administration, economics, geography, anthropology or area studies, and become a leading practitioner who has real impact in today’s complex world of policy challenges. 

Undertake regulatory research by promoting the interests of social justice, fairness, human rights or economically sustainable development, grounded in a number of fields including anthropology, criminology, environmental studies, gender studies, law, psychology and more. 

Develop research that provides insight, imagination and judgement on understanding the history of conflict, the complexity of the global strategic environment, Australia’s place in it, and the utility and application of armed force in international affairs.