Dr Meg Keen

Senior Fellow, Pacific Islands Program
Areas of expertise

Pacific Islands development and security, resource management, human security and resilience. 

Dr Meg Keen
Biography
Publications
News and media

Dr Meg Keen is a Senior Fellow in the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute.

Meg’s work on the Pacific region spans several decades across academia, intelligence and policymaking. Her research focuses on regional security policy and resilience, as well as resource, environmental and human security. She has worked and conducted research in nearly all Pacific Islands countries with governments, NGOs and regional agencies.

Before joining the Lowy Institute, she was the inaugural Director of the Australia Pacific Security College at the Australian National University (ANU), an educational institution she helped to establish to service members of the Pacific Islands Forum on Pacific Islands development and security issues. 

Prior to that, Meg worked as a Senior Policy Fellow in the ANU’s Department of Pacific Affairs, as a Senior Analyst in the Oceania Branch of the Office of National Assessments (now the Office of National Intelligence) and served in Australia’s Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).

She started her post-doctoral career as a lecturer in environment studies (ANU and Monash University) and advising the Australian government on environmental management in the Asia-Pacific.

Meg has won four Australia Day Awards for her work as a senior Pacific Islands analyst, an Australian Federal Police Overseas Service Medal for her work with RAMSI, and a citation for excellence in teaching. A Canadian native, she has been resident in Australia for more than 30 years.

Australians watching Pacific with concern and care
Australians watching Pacific with concern and care
Chinese influence and Pacific migration pathways are on Australian minds this year, according to latest Lowy Institute Poll.
Solomon Islands: Democracy on the ballot
Solomon Islands: Democracy on the ballot
Next week, voters will determine not only political leadership but the future of democratic processes.
The bigger political game in the Pacific
The bigger political game in the Pacific
It’s true there are many actors and issues unfolding in the region, but Australia, the United States and China play a central role in driving aid and strategic competition.
Geopolitics in the Pacific Islands: Playing for advantage
Policy Briefs
Geopolitics in the Pacific Islands: Playing for advantage
Competition among development partners in the region needs to be harnessed to lift standards and development outcomes.
Drivers of change in the Pacific
Drivers of change in the Pacific
The year ahead holds big challenges, in politics, the economy and ensuring that local voices are heard.
Nauru’s diplomatic switch to China – the rising stakes in Pacific geopolitics
Nauru’s diplomatic switch to China – the rising stakes in Pacific geopolitics
Australia is a player at the table but Pacific nations themselves hold the most important cards.
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