Ryan Neelam is Director of the Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program at the Lowy Institute and is Project Lead on the annual flagship publication, the Lowy Institute Poll.

Prior to joining the Lowy Institute, Ryan spent 14 years as an Australian diplomat. He was most recently Australia’s Deputy Consul-General in Hong Kong and acted as the head of the consulate during an extended period of political upheaval in the territory and the onset of the Covid pandemic.

Ryan was previously posted to the Australian Mission to the United Nations in New York, where he represented Australia on global economic, climate change and human rights issues, was a key Australian negotiator of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and served on Australia’s UN Security Council team during its 2013–14 term.

In Australia, Ryan served as the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade’s Deputy State Director for NSW, and in Canberra he has contributed to Australia’s UN, climate and development policies.

Ryan holds a Bachelor of Economics and Social Sciences (Honours) from the University of Sydney.