Dr Elise Stephenson is a researcher-practitioner with expertise across diplomacy, national security, government, entrepreneurship, and diversity and inclusion. 

Dr Elise Stephenson is the Deputy Director of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership, founded and chaired by former prime minister Julia Gillard. She is a multi award-winning gender researcher with an entrepreneurial background, whose work focuses on intervening at critical junctures to ensure equality in ‘frontier’ international affairs and grand challenges. She is a collaborative leader dedicated to excellence and innovation, recognized by Google as one of Australia's Top 50 Outstanding LGBTIQ+ Leaders, the United Nations Australia Association as a Community Awardee, and myriad other external and academic awards, including being recipient of the Chancellor's Medal for Excellence in PhD Research, the University Medal for Excellence in Honours/Masters Research, and the Politics, Asian Studies and International Relations Medal for Excellence in her Undergraduate Studies. She is a 2022-23 Fulbright Scholar and Overall Outstanding Young Alumnus for 2020. 

Elise's research focuses on gender, sexuality and leadership in frontier international relations, from researching space policy, to diplomacy, national security, intelligence, security vetting, international representation, and the Asia Pacific. She is interested in how Australia engages with the world - as well as whom is at the forefront of that engagement.