Maria Rost Rublee is Professor of International Relations at the University of Melbourne, with expertise in international relations, including nuclear politics, maritime security, and gender and diversity in national security. She is President of Women in International Security-Australia, an Executive Committee member of Women in Nuclear-Australia, and was recently named to the U.S. National Security & Foreign Affairs Leadership List (Top 50 selected globally), by the Center for Strategic & International Studies, Washington DC.
Professor Rublee’s research agenda on the social construction of national security is internationally recognized, leading to an award-winning monograph, two edited books, and over 40 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, in addition to non-traditional research outputs. The international esteem accorded to her work is underscored by her successful grant record, with almost $2 million in competitive external grants, and almost $700,000 as the sole or lead chief investigator, including with the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Australian Department of Defence, the Canadian Department of Defence, and the Japan Foundation, among others.
With a keen interest in national security policy, Professor Rublee engages in public policy discussions around AUKUS, Australian foreign policy, the impact on diversity in national security workforce recruitment and retention, and nuclear proliferation, nonproliferation and disarmament in the Indo-Pacific and around the world. She is a sought-after speaker and media commentator, providing dozens of media interviews each year, lectures and invited discussions with policy officials and experts, policy-related op-eds, and features on policy podcasts. She served as a Visiting Fellow at the Australian War College in 2024 and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Australian Royal Navy Sea Power Centre in 2022-23.
As a global leader in national security, Professor Rublee has created new research and professional collaborations, including with the Carnegie Corporation-funded Bridging the Gap program, and the creation of the Global Taskforce on Diversity in Security Studies through the International Studies Association. Her Ph.D. is from George Washington University.
