Read more about our Contributors

Dr Hamed Zakikhani is an agronomist and researcher based in Queensland. He holds a PhD in Agronomy and has published widely on agriculture, food security, and strategy. His current focus is on the intersection of policy, international relations, and Australia’s role as a middle power in the Indo-Pacific.

Muhammad Irfan Ph.D., PMP, is a researcher and educator with interests in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and emerging digital technologies. He completed his Master’s degree in Information Technology from Swinburne University of Technology in 2016 and recently earned his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Electrical Engineering from The City College of New York in 2026. His recent work focuses on deepfake forensics. He writes about how technical design choices shape public trust in digital information, with opinion pieces published in Tech Policy Press, AI Policy Bulletin, and Policy Options. He is currently a Lecturer at Wentworth Institute of Technology—USA, and can be reached via LinkedIn.

Jing Ge is an instructor at Florida International University. She also works as a research assistant at the Jack D Gordon Institute to provide policy analysis. Her research interests include foreign policy, Asia-Pacific regional security studies, great power competition, and global governance. She has written for several publications, including The National Interest, The Diplomat, The Interpreter, and American Purpose. Her academic work has been published in many international peer-reviewed journals.

Dr Gerald Mako is a Research Affiliate of the Cambridge Central Asia Forum at Cambridge University. His research focuses on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and great power competition in Asia.

Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat is a co-author, serves as Director of the China-Indonesia Desk at CELIOS, and is also affiliated with positions at the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore, the London School of Economics’ IDEAS, and Busan University of Foreign Studies

Yeta Purnama is a researcher at Center of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS), whose work focuses on the evolving dynamics of China–Indonesia relations.

Kumail Mehdi works as a Research Assistant at the Center for International Strategic Studies, Islamabad. His expertise includes Indian Strategic Culture, Military Industrial Complex, and Arms Control.

Tanisha Lamichhane is a Master of International Relations graduate from the University of Melbourne with a background in research, gender advocacy, and policy analysis. She has contributed to reforms in Nepal’s national juvenile justice frameworks, co-authored submissions for the UN Universal Periodic Review examining human rights violations in Australia, and worked as a Policy and Advocacy Support Officer amplifying students’ voices in the University of Melbourne through the Graduate Student Association. Currently, as a contributing writer at the Young Diplomats Society and National Publications Director at Asia Australia Youth Association, she publishes academic articles on gender, structural justice, and inequities in regional and international contexts. Her work focuses on context-sensitive approaches to amplify underrepresented voices in political discourses and policymaking.

Muhammad Amir is a PhD researcher at Deakin University, specializing in international relations and security studies. His research focuses on peace processes, strategic competition, defence policy, and emerging technologies.

Ali Ramezaniotaghvar is an undergraduate student at the Australian National University, studying a PhB (Humanities and Social Science) Honours, majoring in Political Science. He currently researches and studies American geopolitics, political philosophy and comparative politics. He currently interns as Assistant Editor to Australian Outlook at the Australian Institute of International Affairs.