Dr Anna Powles is an Associate Professor with the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at Massey University, New Zealand. Her research and policy engagement focusses on Pacific diplomacy, geopolitics, defence and security. She currently leads research on security obligations and strategic alignments in the Pacific, defence diplomacy in the Pacific, and strategic competition and security cooperation. In 2025 she received the University Research Medal for Exceptional Research Citizenship and the New Zealand Women in Security Award. Dr Powles serves on the Steering Committee of The Pacific Dialogue, the first Track II geopolitics and security mechanism in the Pacific, hosted by the University of the South Pacific, and is co-founder of the Research Network on Pacific Defence and Security. She is a Visiting Fellow at the Australia War College, an Expert Associate of the National Security College at the Australian National University, a Visiting Fellow at the Pacific Regional Security Hub at the University of Canterbury, and a Non-Resident Fellow at the National Bureau of Asian Research. Her work has appeared in leading journals including International Affairs, Asia Policy, Australian Journal of International Affairs, International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, and Georgetown Journal of Asian Affairs. She has co-edited books on Pacific security cooperation and peacekeeping operations, and authored numerous book chapters, policy reports, and commentary pieces. Her research has been supported by the Australian Research Council, United States Institute of Peace, UC Berkeley, East-West Center, Australian Civil-Military Centre, NATO, and the New Zealand Government. Before entering academia, she worked in humanitarian emergencies and security sector reform with organisations including the United Nations, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, and International Crisis Group.