Melissa Curley

Associate Professor Melissa Curley is a prominent scholar in the School of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Queensland, where she also serves as Deputy Director of the Asia Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (R2P). Her academic career spans over two decades with significant contributions to Southeast Asian studies, international relations, and non-traditional security issues.

Dr. Curley's educational background includes a Ph.D. in International Relations from Nottingham Trent University in the UK and a BA(Hons) in Government from the University of Queensland. These qualifications established the foundation for her expertise in political science and international relations, particularly focused on Southeast Asia.

Her research interests span several interconnected domains, with primary focus on Southeast Asian politics and international relations, Cambodian politics and post-conflict reconstruction, and non-traditional security in East Asia. She has made significant contributions to understanding trafficking in persons, migrant smuggling, pandemic disease, and child protection issues. A key aspect of her work examines how civil society operates under authoritarian rule and navigates relations with the state. Her research on securitisation theory, particularly its application in non-democratic contexts, has been influential in the field of international relations.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on governance challenges in Southeast Asia, particularly regarding civil society in authoritarian states, human security frameworks, and migration-security nexus. Her work demonstrates interdisciplinary approaches bridging political science, law, public health, and human rights, with particular attention to Cambodia and Myanmar. The publications show increasing engagement with contemporary security challenges including pandemic responses, child protection frameworks, and transnational crime governance.

• Paul Harris Fellow, The Rotary Foundation (2016)
• Fellowship, Higher Education Academy (UK) (2020)
• Executive Advisory Board Member, Bravehearts (2015)

Professor Curley has supervised numerous PhD students across diverse topics including Southeast Asian politics, civil society governance, human trafficking, health systems, and international law. Her research has been supported by funding including a UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund for her project 'Governance, Sovereignty and Civil Society: The Emergence of Civil Society in Cambodia Post-UNTAC' (2006-2007). She co-facilitated the UQ Working Group on Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling in the T.C Bernie School of Law from 2012-2016.

Dr. Curley maintains active engagement with non-academic organizations including Bravehearts, an Australian not-for-profit organization focused on child protection, and The Rotary Foundation. Her work bridges academic research with practical policy applications, particularly in the areas of human trafficking, migrant smuggling, and non-traditional security challenges in the Asia-Pacific region.