Heather Smith

Dr Heather Smith PSM FAIIA is a Distinguished Advisor at the Australian National University (ANU) National Security College. She served as a Professor at the same institution from June 2021 to July 2024 and was a Director and Deputy-Chair of the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney from 2019 to March 2023.

She holds a PhD in Economics from ANU and was an academic specializing in Northeast Asia at ANU from 1994 to 2000. Her expertise spans national security, foreign affairs, intelligence, and economic policy.

• Non-executive director of Australian Securities Exchange, Challenger Limited, Qantas Limited, and the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program
• Member of the Mitsubishi Australia Limited Advisory Committee

Her research interests focus on national security, foreign affairs, and intelligence, informed by her academic background in economics and Northeast Asia. She has co-led significant initiatives, including the 2024 Independent Review of Australia’s National Intelligence Community.

Scientific awards and honors include the Public Service Medal (2014) and Fellow of the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA). In April 2023, she was appointed National President of the AIIA.