My research focuses on global governance and human security, transnational environmental crime, regional environmental governance in Southeast Asia, environmental security, climate security and human security (with a particular focus on the Asia Pacific), including food security and climate migration. I also have research interests in the UN system, and in global ethics, particularly global environmental ethics.

I am the Past Chair (2015-18) of the Academic Council on the UN System (acuns.org). I am a Senior Research Fellow with the Earth System Governance programme and convenor of the Green Economy Working group of the ESG Taskforce on Conceptual Foundations. I am one of two Vice Chairs for the Asia Pacific region of the International Studies Association (ISA), adjunct faculty in the Department of Conflict Resolution, Human Security and Global Governance at the McCormack Graduate School at U. Mass Boston and a member of the Consultative Committee for the Nansen Initiative. I am also an Associate of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security; the Climate and Environmental Governance Network in the ANU School of Regulation, Justice and Diplomacy; and the Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation at the University of Warwick. I have held appointments as visiting professor and visiting fellow at the University of Nottingham (as a Highfield Fellow), Balliol College Oxford, the LSE, the Free University of Amsterdam, Keele University and Sheffield University. I also spent two years at the University of Warwick as Director of Studies for the MA (International Relations) programme.