Lucy Pennington is a Naarm-based international affairs practitioner and researcher. She is a PhD candidate at Monash University, looking at how foreign policy is made on the diplomatic frontlines. Lucy has designed, implemented and evaluated major infrastructure, climate, public diplomacy, tourism, gender and water programs for DFAT (Australia), MFAT (New Zealand), the Asian Development Bank and UNHCR. She has worked on international development programs across the Pacific, South Asia and Southeast Asia. Her foreign policy commentary is featured in international policymaker-focused forums, including through @lucyfieldnotes on most platforms. She is a 2026 Euan Crone Asian Awareness Scholar (AIIA) and a Visiting Fellow at Universitas Gadjah Mada.