Academics & Experts
The academics and experts who teach, research and offer commentary for the United States Studies Centre include some of the world's leading scholars on the United States, spanning fields including US politics, national security, contemporary media and culture, welfare policy, anti-Americanism, health care, business innovation, history and urban planning.
Professors
- Howard Bamsey
Adjunct Professor in Climate Change and Energy Security - Roger Benjamin
Professor of Art History - Edward Blakely
Honorary Professor in Urban Policy & disaster recovery expert - Colin Campbell
Visiting Professor & Professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia - Lyn Carson
Honorary Professor of Civic Engagement - James Fallows
Chair in US Media & National Correspondent for The Atlantic - Geoffrey Garrett
CEO & Professor of Political Science - Murray Goot
Visiting Professor & ARC Australian Professorial Fellow at Macquarie University - Robert Hill
Adjunct Professor in Sustainability - Michael Hiscox
Visiting Professor & Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs at Harvard University - Simon Jackman
Visiting Professor & Professor of Political Science at Stanford University - Margaret Levi
Chair in US Politics & Director of Research and Research Training at the US Studies Centre & Bacharach Professor of International Studies at the University of Washington - Bruce McKern
Professor of International Business & Director of the Business Leadership and Innovation programs - Susan Pond, AM
Adjunct Professor, Dow Sustainability Program - Russell Trood
Adjunct Professor, Defence and Security Program - David Weisbrot, AM
Professor of Legal Policy
Associate Professors
- Brendon O'Connor
Associate Professor in American Politics & Director of Teaching and Learning
Senior Lecturers
- James Curran
Lecturer in the History of the US-Australia Alliance
Lecturers
- Adam Lockyer
Lecturer in US Politics and Foreign Policy - Jane Park
Lecturer in Contemporary American Media - Rebecca Sheehan
Lecturer in US History - David Smith
Lecturer in American Politics and Foreign Policy
Research Associates
- John Ahlquist
Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison - Thomas Barlow
Research strategist specialising in science and technological innovation - John Barron
ABC NewsRadio drive-time host - Sandy Burgoyne
Project Lead, Urban Environments, Dow Sustainability Program - Greg Castillo
Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley - Leah Farrall
Research Associate in Counter Terrorism - Sean Gallagher
Researcher specialising in American higher education - Pete Hatemi
Researching the neurobiological mechanisms of social and political behaviours - Andrea Koch
Program Leader, Soil Carbon Initiative - Rebecca Nelson
Lead Researcher, Comparative Groundwater Law and Policy Program at Stanford - Jamie Pittock
Research Associate, Climate-Energy-Water Nexus project - NIna Silove
Researcher specialising in US grand strategy - Tom Switzer
Editor of Spectator Australia
Affiliated Academics
- Rowena Braddock
Lecturer, The American City - Bruce Isaacs
Lecturer, American Film & Hollywood - Kurt Iveson
Senior Lecturer, The American City - David Johnstone
Lecturer, US Financial Institutions and Culture - Martijn Konings
Lecturer, US Economic Policy & Regulation - Harry Melkonian
Lecturer, US Constitution - Stephen Robertson
Lecturer, Key Issues in American Culture & USSC Research Associate - Michael Thompson
Lecturer in US Studies
Professors

Professor Howard Bamsey
Adjunct Professor in Climate Change and Energy Security
Howard Bamsey joined the Centre following his retirement as Deputy Secretary of the Australian Government's Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency. Perhaps Australia's pre-eminent official… more

Professor Roger Benjamin
Professor of Art History
Roger Benjamin trained in art history at the University of Melbourne and Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania. His research has focused on the art and theory of Matisse, French Orientalist painting, an… more

Professor Edward Blakely
Honorary Professor in Urban Policy & disaster recovery expert
http://www.blakelycitytalk.com/
Edward Blakely is Honorary Professor of Urban Policy at the US Studies Centre, having previously served for two years as Executive Director of the Office of Recovery and Development Administration, th… more

Professor Colin Campbell
Visiting Professor & Professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia
Colin Campbell's degrees include: A.B. (Hons.), Gonzaga University (1965), M.A., the University of Alberta (1966) and Ph.D., Duke University (1973)-all in political science. He also obtained a M.Div. … more

Professor Lyn Carson
Honorary Professor of Civic Engagement
http://www.activedemocracy.net/
Carson was the founding Academic Program Director of the Centre and is now one of its Adjunct Professors. She is currently Professor in applied politics, with the Centre for Citizenship and Public Pol… more

Professor James Fallows
Chair in US Media & National Correspondent for The Atlantic
Professor James Fallows is Chair in US Media at the US Studies Centre and National Correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly magazine. One of the world's leading journalists, Fallows is author of nine bo… more

Professor Geoffrey Garrett
Chief Executive Officer
geoffrey.garrett@sydney.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 9351 7249
Dr Geoffrey Garrett is founding CEO of the United States Studies Centre and Professor of Political Science at the University of Sydney. He was previously President of the Pacific Council on Internatio… more

Professor Murray Goot
Visiting Professor & ARC Australian Professorial Fellow at Macquarie University
Murray Goot is an Australian Research Council Australian Professorial Fellow and Professor in the Department of Modern History, Politics, International Relations and Security at Macquarie University w… more

Professor Robert Hill
Adjunct Professor in Sustainability
Robert Hill was a member of the Australian Senate from 1981 to 2006, representing South Australia. He was educated at the University of Adelaide and the London School of Economics, where he gained a m… more

Professor Michael Hiscox
Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs, Harvard University
Michael J. Hiscox is the Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs at Harvard University. He received his B. Econ. (First Class Honours) from the University of Sydney in 1989 and his Ph.D in … more

Professor Simon Jackman
Visiting Professor at the US Studies Centre & Professor of Political Science at Stanford University
Simon Jackman is Professor of Political Science and (by courtesy) of Statistics at Stanford University. Jackmanʼs teaching and research centres on issues in democratic politics (public opinion, polit… more

Professor Margaret Levi
Chair in US Politics & Director of Research and Research Training at the US Studies Centre & Bacharach Professor of International Studies at the University of Washington
Phone: +61 2 9114 0580
A Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Professor Margaret Levi took up her chair at the US Studies Centre in 2009. She also holds the position of Jere L. Bacharach Professor of Interna… more

Professor Bruce McKern
Professor of International Business & Director of the Business Leadership and Innovation programs
Phone: +61 2 9036 7100
Bruce joined the University of Sydney on a half-time basis as a Professor of International Business. His primary role is in the United States Studies Centre, as Director of the US Business Leadership … more

Professor Susan Pond, AM
Dow Sustainability Program
Dr Susan Pond AM FTSE is Adjunct Professor of the Dow Sustainability Program at the United States Studies Centre. Her area of interest is the development of the advanced transportation biofuels indust… more
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Professor Russell Trood
Adjunct Professor, Defence and Security Program
Dr Russell Trood leads the US Studies Centre's Defence and Security program. He was previously a Liberal Senator for Queensland from July 2005 until June 2011. During this time he filled a number of r… more

Professor David Weisbrot, AM
Professor of Legal Policy
Professor David Weisbrot is Professor of Legal Policy at the United States Studies Centre and Professor of Law and Governance at Macquarie University. He is also an Emeritus Professor of Law and an… more
Associate Professors

Associate Professor Brendon O'Connor
Associate Professor in American Politics & Director of Teaching and Learning
Phone: +61 9036 9206
Brendon joined the United States Studies Centre in 2009 as Associate Professor in American Politics. He was previously with the Department of Politics and Public Policy at Griffith University.… more
Senior Lecturers

Dr James Curran
Lecturer in the History of the US-Australia Alliance
Dr Curran teaches Australian history. His current research, funded by an ARC Discovery Project (2010-2012), explores the history of the Australia/US Alliance from Nixon's 1969 Guam Doctrine to the … more
Lecturers

Dr Adam Lockyer
Lecturer in US Politics and Foreign Policy
Phone: +61 2 9036 7948
Adam Lockyer is a lecturer in US politics and foreign policy at the US Studies Centre at the University of Sydney.… more

Dr Jane Park
Lecturer in Contemporary American Media
Dr. Jane Chi Hyun Park has a Ph.D. in Radio-TV-Film from The University of Texas at Austin and a M.A. in English from the University of California, Irvine and previously worked in American Studi… more

Dr Rebecca Sheehan
Lecturer in US History
Phone: +61 2 9036 9208
Rebecca joined the United States Studies Centre as Lecturer in US History in September 2010. Prior to that she was one of the US Studies Centre’s first postdoctoral fellows cohort.… more

David Smith
Lecturer in American Politics and Foreign Policy
Dr David Smith is jointly appointed between the United States Studies Centre and the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Sydney. Smith has a PhD in political science from the … more
Research Associates

Assistant Professor John Ahlquist
Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison
John Ahlquist is assistant professor in the department of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as well as a research associate in political economy at the US Stu… more

Dr Thomas Barlow
Research strategist specialising in science and technological innovation
Thomas Barlow is Australia's leading research strategist. He provides independent policy advice to governments and strategic advice to high-tech companies, universities, and research organisations. Hi… more

John Barron
ABC NewsRadio host
John Barron has been covering Presidential campaigns as a journalist for almost 20 years.… more

Associate Professor Greg Castillo
Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley
Greg Castillo received a B.F.A. in photography at the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1975, an M.A. at the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Southern California in 1978, an … more

Leah Farrall
Research Associate in Counter Terrorism
Leah Farrall is a Research Associate in Counter Terrorism at the US Studies Centre. She was a speaker at the US Studies Centre's National Summit in June 2011.… more

Dr Sean Gallagher
Chief Operating Officer
Phone: +61 2 9351 4601
Dr Sean Gallagher is Chief Operating Officer of the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney where he is a Research Associate in Higher Education. Gallagher is a founding member of the… more

Associate Professor Peter Hatemi
Research Associate
Pete Hatemi is a research fellow at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and Associate Professor of Political Science, Microbiology and Biochemistry at The Pennsylvania State U… more

Andrea Koch
Program Leader, Soil Carbon Initiative
Andrea Koch is an experienced marketer and strategist. Her career experience includes twenty years in the telecommunications and media industries, with IBM, Optus, Optus Vision and News Interactive. S… more

Rebecca Nelson
Lead Researcher, Comparative Groundwater Law and Policy Program at Stanford
Rebecca is Lead Researcher, Comparative Groundwater Law and Policy Program at the Woods Institute for the Environment and the Bill Lane Center for the American West, Stanford University, a collaborati… more

Dr Jamie Pittock
Research Associate, Climate-Energy-Water Nexus project
Dr Jamie Pittock has a background in zoology and geography, and from 1989-2001 he worked for various non-government environmental organisations in Australia promoting nature conservation. In partic… more


Nina Silove
Researcher specialising in US grand strategy
Nina Silove is a DPhil candidate in International Relations at the University of Oxford and a member of Merton College. Nina researches US strategic planning and grand strategy in the post-Cold War er… more

Tom Switzer
Research Associate
Tom Switzer is a research associate at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney where he teaches undergraduate courses in US politics, US foreign policy, US-Australia relations and… more
Affiliated Academics

Rowena Braddock
Lecturer, The American City
Rowena Braddock is an Honours graduate in arts and law from the University of Sydney.… more

Dr Bruce Isaacs
Lecturer, American Film & Hollywood
Bruce Isaacs has a PhD in Film Studies, with a focus on film aesthetics and culture. His research examines a wide range of film studies-related topics: histories of film (with a focus on Hollywood), f… more

Dr Kurt Iveson
Senior Lecturer
Phone: 02 9351 3627
Fax: 02 9351 3644
http://www.geosci.usyd.edu.au/people/st_iveson.shtml
Kurt is primarily interested in the question of how social justice can be achieved in cities. Within this broad interest, his research has focused on two main areas. First, he has examined the signifi… more

Professor David Johnstone
Chair of Finance
Phone: + 61 2 9036 5286
http://www.econ.usyd.edu.au/staff/davidj
Professor David Johnstone is a member of the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Sydney. Professor Johnstone will be lecturing for the USSC in 2010 and teaching US Financial Institu… more

Dr Martijn Konings
Lecturer
http://www.arts.usyd.edu.au/departs/political/staff/martijn_konings.htm
Martijn Konings completed his PhD at York University in Toronto and is currently a lecturer in the department of Political Economy at the University of Sydney. He has published articles on American an… more

Dr Harry Melkonian
Lecturer, US Constitution
Dr Harry Melkonian is a practicing lawyer and legal educator. He has practiced law since 1975 and is licensed in England, New South Wales as well as New York and California in the USA. He has lectured… more

Associate Professor Stephen Robertson
Lecturer, Key Issues in American Culture & USSC Research Associate
stephen.robertson@sydney.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 9351 3782
http://www-personal.arts.usyd.edu.au/sterobrt/
Associate Professor Stephen Robertson teaches a postgraduate unit, Key Issues in American Culture, for the US Studies Centre.… more
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Michael Thompson
Lecturer in US Studies
Mike was a lecturer in American History at Melbourne’s Monash University, where he received a Dean's Commendation for Excellence in Teaching. He has also lectured in History at the University of… more
See also:
VIDEOS & INTERVIEWS
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Dr David Smith analyses how Obama's public support of same sex marriage may affect his re-election chances.
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Edward Blakely discusses his new book 'My Storm' and the lessons that Australians can learn from Hurricane Katrina.



