Stephanie Lawson has held politics and international relations chairs at the universities of East Anglia and Birmingham in the UK and at Macquarie University, Sydney. She is also senior research associate, Faculty of Humanities, at the University of Johannesburg and honorary professor with the Department of Pacific Affairs at Australian National University. She is a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, a past president of the Australian Political Studies Association, and a former editor of the Australian Journal of International Affairs.