Elise Stephenson

Dr Elise Stephenson is Deputy Director of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at ANU, founded by Julia Gillard. She holds a PhD from Griffith University and is an ARC DECRA Fellow (2025-2028) specializing in gender equality at policy frontiers like AI, space, and climate action. Her research spans national security, diplomacy, queer leadership, and Asia-Pacific engagement.

Education:

• PhD in International Affairs (Griffith U, 2020)
• Bachelor of Government & International Relations (Griffith U, 2016)
• Bachelor of Asian/International Studies & Communication (Griffith U, 2014)
• Design Thinking Certification (Harvard U, 2018)

Research Interests: Gendered institutions in international affairs, space sector diversity, AI ethics, LGBTQ+ leadership, and climate justice. Her landmark UN study on gender equality in space (2024) and book The Face of the Nation (Oxford UP) earned international acclaim.

Projects: Leads initiatives like Australia-ASEAN Emerging Leaders Program and UNOOSA’s space gender equality work. Current ARC grants focus on gender equality in public sectors and Southeast Asia’s economic recovery.

Awards:

• International Studies Association Bertha Lutz Prize
• Australia’s Top 50 LGBTQ+ Leaders (Google)
• UN Australia Community Awardee
• Fulbright Scholar (2022-23)

Advising & Grants: Supervises PhD students, manages $7M+ in research grants, and chairs ANU’s Gender, Space & Security fellowship. Board member of Social Good Outpost Pty Ltd.

Labs/Teams: Core member of ANU National Security College, Griffith Asia Institute, and Australian Space Diversity Alliance (ASDA).